Masks
by SecretInk
Summary: Superhero AU. After a lunar eclipse leaves some with special powers, Cress becomes Satellite - a superhero with cyberpathic abilities. Besides the supervillains she's got to fight, there's the smug thief called Captain, a man who uses his powers to foil all her plans. But when the masks come off, little does Cress know her nemesis is actually closer to her than she thinks ...
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Her veins were humming, responding to the transmissions that were flowing around her as palpable as the light breeze on the rooftop she was currently standing on, her blood echoing the electronic, digital, and radio waves.

At that stage, they only pricked at the back of her neck. If she allowed herself, she could hear the pieces of phone calls, see e-mails written in the front of her eyes and feel her skin vibrate with the music coming from radios. With a blink of her eyes she could disconnect the calls, delete the mails and switch radio stations.

Every other week some paper released new studies warning about the effect of cell phone radiation. What would they say about a human signal transmitter, receiving and amplifying every particle with her mind alone?

(Not that she recommended anyone following her example.)

No, that power was for Satellite alone to handle. A power that was as subtle and encompassing as the moonlight.

~'~'~

Like millions of other people, Cress had been excited for the Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse for the sole reason that it was such a rare and spectacular sight.

Who could have known that it would change her forever, right down to her DNA?

But when the shadow passed over the moon, turning it red as blood, Cress's own blood seemed to freeze in her veins. Her head had felt like it was split in half and the endless green string of a binary code scrolled down in front of her eyes, fading away into nothingness.

~'~'~

When she had woken up, everything had been different.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Satellite huffed as she once again lost the trail of Captain. She had no time for his antics today, she was already pressed for time. She crouched down in the dingy alleyway, enough so no passerby from the street could spot her, and let her senses trail down her nerves and into every surveillance camera in a three mile radius.

Every lens turned into her eyes, carefully scouting to catch a glimpse of the masked figure. She knew he wasn't subtle in his movements so it wouldn't take long– There!

Satellite scaled up the building, a physical feat she couldn't have ever dreamed of before her DNA had been changed. Smaller than most, Cress never had the physical prowess to compete with anyone in terms of speed or strength. But as Satellite, she was fast, agile and strong.

She unfortunately couldn't fly like Captain could. This and his ability to disintegrate into thin air made it almost impossible for her to catch him.

And she needed to catch him.

Or at least, stop him long enough to get her father's documents back. She knew he still had them, waiting for the right opportunity to sell them to the highest bidder, probably. There was Commonwealth Corp in Beijing but they would hardly pay for the research they commissioned her father to do. Not that they lacked the money, but from what she could tell from Rikan Zhen and his son Kaito, they weren't the type to deal with criminals. Or maybe they would. After all, her father's research could be the first step to understand how the Lunar eclipse affected a few dozen people's DNA so uncannily that they developed a range of superpowers prior only known from comic books and Hollywood movies.

Then there was Blackburn Inc. with their elusive figurehead Cress didn't know much about – even with her cyberpathic powers. She had tons of run-ins with Blackburn Inc.'s henchmen though.

Super-powered wolf soldiers who were engineered, unlike Satellite, Captain, Mechanic and Red, whom she had seen fighting in Beijing and Paris respectively, as well as other people who suddenly got superpowers from the Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse. Super-powered wolf soldiers who were engineered, unlike Satellite, Captain, Mechanic and Red, whom she had seen fighting in Beijing and Paris respectively, as well as other people who suddenly got superpowers from the Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse. How, Cress didn't know, but they all displayed the same powers – the vicious brutality, the superhuman senses and strength – in a way that couldn't be a natural emergence of some latent powers. Especially since their appearance was just as unnatural with their wolf-like features and hairy bodies.

Even as Satellite, Cress had no real fighting power. She could use her surroundings to her advantage but that allowed her mostly to escape their wrath. Sometimes, she had to admit grudgingly, only with Captain's help. He had managed to get her out the few times the wolf soldiers had surrounded her. Swooping in, his body had materialised next to her and snatched her out of danger. It was almost heroic.

Almost. He still stole her father's research.

Satellite took a wide jump from one of the skyscrapers and landed hard on another rooftop where Captain leaned casually against one of the scaffolds as if he had been expecting her.

He probably had.

With slow, deliberate steps, Satellite made his way over to him. "Hand them over, Captain." She made sure to regulate her voice so it would hide her slight Ukrainian accent. It was doubtful Captain would recognise her with it, but she felt safer all the same.

She could see him smirking, his mouth the only part of his face she could see beneath the mask, the expression familiar enough that they pricked at something in the back of her head. "Hand over … what?" He taunted, his voice feigning innocence while keeping his hands resolutely behind his back.

Satellite glared even though he probably couldn't see it behind her own mask. She changed her posture, self-assured and tough in a way that she hardly was as Cress. "You know exactly what I mean, Captain. The Venezuelan dream dolls you just stole from the museum." On top of stealing her father's research, Captain had the unfortunate tendency to steal everything valuable from Beijing to New York.

Beijing where she first crossed paths with him as he stole her father's documents right from inside Commonwealth Corp while they were visiting the facilities.

Which was easy for him since he could walk through walls. No building, no safe and no vault could stop him. Neither could the museum he stole the Venezuelan dream dolls from.

By now Satellite knew his patterns, the things that caught his interest. It was easy for her to check on the countless security cams installed all over the city until she caught him sneaking in one on of them. He wasn't subtle, knowing fully well that no security guard or policemen could ever catch him. Sometimes Captain let them put him in handcuffs or even seat him in the back of their car just for fun. Minutes later he was gone, vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind than a pair of empty handcuffs while he was already far away with his stolen goods.

Satellite knew that she couldn't catch him. But at least, she could try to get back what he stole. And she had to do it quick, she thought with a glance to a clock on top of a nearby building.

"I love how you call me Captain," he purred, his whole demeanor cocky.

Cress scoffed. "Because you named yourself that."

A shrug. "So? I like the sound of it." When he came closer, Cress had to force herself not to step back. She wouldn't cave in. Not as Satellite.

As Satellite she was a superhero, brave in the face of her enemies.

Though Cress would have expected her archenemy to be a figure that left dread in its wake, dangerous to the bones and scary to behold.

Not a flirty thief whose only flaw seemed to be his own vanity.

It wouldn't do dwelling on her unlikely archenemy though. She had to hurry and get back home. Back to her life and identity as Cress. "Just give me the dolls, Captain," she snarled, knowing fully well that she couldn't just grab them from him.

He took his hands from behind his back, showing as suspected the two dream dolls, stuffed haphazardly in a blue satchel. "You mean these? Ugly little things, aren't they? But worth a lot to the right buyer." Captain grinned at her. "I might be inclined to give them to you … for the right price of course."

At that she huffed. "I don't negotiate with criminals."

He nodded thoughtfully as if he had expected her response. "You expect me to just hand over a lot of things without giving anything in return. These dream dolls, that old doctor's messy documents … that's not how one does business, Satellite," he said reproachfully, a smile still dancing on his lips.

Cress bristled at his words. "Because you stole everything. Those things didn't belong to you in the first place, you, you … thief!"

"Ouch," Captain dead-panned, clearly unimpressed. "That hurt."

Satellite ignored him, inconspicuously scanning their surroundings. She might not have much fighting power, nothing like Red in France who could shoot red energy from her hands, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. There wasn't much, except the entrance that led to the rooftop. The door seemed heavy, and when she concentrated, she could feel it was well secured by a control panel and alarm system. She let her mind travel into it, slowly reworking the codes.

Captain didn't notice anything as he continued to speak, but she knew she had to be quick.

"Maybe you got a thing for me with all that chasing after me you're doing?"

When his words registered, Satellite sputtered, her concentration thrown off for a second. "I do not." How dare he? "And you're not the only one I'm chasing. After all, there are tons of criminals I have to catch beside you." Which was only half-way true. She didn't have to catch anyone. But that's what people with superpowers did, right? Catch the bad guys the police couldn't on their own.

Even if she would be much better at tracing back hackers and uncovering secret accounts on the Cayman Islands. But that didn't feel nearly as superhero-ish.

"And here I thought I was something special," Captain pouted, overly dramatic, humour etched on the features she could spot beneath his mask. "I tell you, you wouldn't be able to resist if you could see my dreamy blue eyes."

Satellite rolled her eyes, but instead of answering, Satellite readied herself as she finally worked her way into the security system of the building.

"But as flattering as it is that you're following me around, I must tell you that I'm actually already tak—" He was interrupted by the blaring sound of alarm sirens going off, and the door behind him opening its lock so fast, it banged on the wall. The sounds were deafening as Captain turned around, his body tense, just as Satellite had expected. She leaped at him, snatching the dream dolls from the satchel, her reflexes unnaturally fast.

"Hey!" Captain spun around, trying to grab at her, but with her small stature, Satellite ducked under his arm, jumped on the scaffold and leaped.

She didn't turn around to see if he followed as she jumped from building to building and down some alleyways in a zig-zag pattern through the city, closing back in on the museum where he stole the dream dolls from. Only then, perched on top of an elaborate glass ceiling, did she stop, just slightly out of breath.

The police were already present, no doubt having been informed of the theft. She didn't mind them usuallybut they certainly were suspicious about the sudden emergence of superheroes (and villains) in the last two years. They stuck to their own methods to solve crimes, and more often than not, Satellite was met with suspicion rather than with gratefulness. And if not, they wanted to take her for questioning (which Cress was sure Superman or Batman never had to bother with).

Questions after questions she had no time for today.

She hardly could leave the dolls on the roof though. With a sigh, Cress took another jump, landing next to the police car where a young policeman, who looked like he had just finished the academy, stood. He gasped when he recognised her, and Satellite could see that he had no idea what to do. She only hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid like grabbing for the gun at his hips. Not that the police had actually tried to shot her yet but it wasn't uncommon that she was held at gunpoint while she returned stolen goods or apprehended criminals.

Satellite held up the dolls. "The police are here for these?"

He looked between her and the dolls, then nodded, a bit dumbfounded.

"You know who I am, right?"

Another nod.

Satellite held in a sigh. "Okay, good. Well, get those dolls back inside. Quickly. And tell the curator and security staff to keep the dolls somewhere else for now. Not a vault or safe. Just somewhere nobody would expect to look right away. You think you can do that?"

He nodded again which was all she needed. She handed the dolls to him which he took gingerly, the ugly dolls looking almost small in his big hands.

Turning on her heel to leave, she gave the policemen a small smile. "Thank you."

"Wait." He blushed slightly. "Could you ... maybe... um..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

And suddenly the words tumbled out of him. "Can I please have an autograph, Ms. Satellite?"

* * *

Cress hurried to get the finishing touches done. Due to the Captain's newest attempt to steal a valuable object, she had less time than she had anticipated. Still, she was happy with her arrangements as she glanced at her preparations with content.

Just when she glanced at the clock to check the time, she heard the door in the hallway open.

"Honey, I'm home."

Bursting with happiness, Cress quickly made her way to the hallway only to be scooped up by Thorne and whirled around. A squeal escaped her, and she knew that he was just as excited about tonight as she was.

He set her down to her feet, but kept her close as he leaned down, his forehead touching hers. "I'm glad that after one year together, you're still as excited when I get home. Let's hope it lasts for the years to come." He drew her in for a soft kiss, then, as if unable to resist, pulled her in for another, much longer one. "Happy first anniversary, Mrs. Smith."

Cress beamed. "Happy first anniversary to you too, Mr. Smith," Cress echoed. Then she removed herself from his embrace, ignoring his pout as she grabbed his hand to lead him to the living room. Every bit of surface was decorated with flags, postcards, small souvenirs and photos from the European countries they travelled together during the summer they fell in love in. Cress couldn't believe that one year later, here she was with him, married and happy.

Thorne looked around, astonished. "Cress, what is all of this?"

"Well, I thought if we can't go back to Europe, I might as well bring Europe to us. The culinary aspect of it at least." She whirled through the room, pointing at all the bowls and plates at each station. "Starting in the UK, we have pasties just like ones we ate at that little pub where we had to go when it started to rain. Then I made _mesclun_ \- remember the salad we had at Benoit's farm in France? I made sure to get the recipe for the dressing from Scarlet. Then _pasta cacio e pepe_."

Thorne came closer to take a look at the photos from their travels she had placed next to the dishes. "Ah yes. I remember it. In the tavern before the accident." He pointed to one photo where two of his fingers were bandaged and Cress sported some gashes and bruises on her knees. Cress too remembered the accident they had with the Vespa scooter they had rented. It hadn't been critical but they did have to get to the hospital to get Thorne's fingers treated, more so than her bruises. "If I remember correctly," he added with a dimpled smile that made her melt every time, "that was before I proposed to you for the first time."

Cress pursed her lips. "While you were on pain killers."

He shrugged. "So? I asked you again only a few weeks later and you said yes." He brushed a strand off her face, his eyes a soft shade of blue that Cress couldn't describe as anything but dreamy. The thought gave her pause and she shook her head to get rid of the Captain's voice taunting her. There was only one pair of dreamy blue eyes she cared about and they belonged to Thorne, not the thief who just happened to be lucky enough to get superpowers that made it possible for him to steal whatever he wanted and get away scot-free.

She didn't argue Thorne's point since he was right. Instead, she continued listing the food. "Then a focaccia, and here are _bifteki_ from Greece, as well as _tzatziki_. Minus the garlic," she added bashfully.

An impish grin played on Thorne's lips. "Ooh, what, do we have plans for tonight, Mrs. Smith?"

As if he didn't know. "Oh, hush." He chuckled at her response, nudging her good-naturedly. "Anyway, we were on the bus for most of our trip to Ukraine? So, I couldn't really include something from Romania, except those _covrigi_ we got on the bus break." She pointed to the pretzel-shaped goods, completing everything she had prepared. Well, almost everything she had prepared.

"This is amazing." Thorne indeed looked impressed. But Cress could see the tiniest hint of disappointment on his face only because she expected it. He schooled his features quickly enough. She was glad when he leaned down to kiss her again, so it would hide the small grin. "Thank you, love. It's perfect, and you're the best wife in the world."

"Well, if you're already this grateful, wait till you see"—she grabbed his hands once more and led him to their kitchen—"this!"

Thorne cheered when he recognised the dishes he had come to enjoy above others in Cress's home country: _varenyky_ and _pyrizhky_ , _deruny_ as well as _mlyntsi_ with sour cream and _kotletapo-kyivsky_. She hadn't made everything herself but had ordered some from one of the Ukrainian shops she and Thorne had come to frequent. They had also offered her a wine as well as a brand of beer Thorne had sometimes ordered back then. Cress might have gone a bit overboard, but it was their first anniversary after all.

And it had moved her beyond words when Thorne had tried his first Ukrainian dish, relishing every bite and praising the taste to her and the cooks, endearing him to the whole staff. Even now living in the US, Thorne was excited whenever Cress prepared some Ukrainian dishes and they had worked out a way to include customs from both their countries for the important holidays.

"And now you're the best wife in the galaxy!" He took everything in, his brow creasing in thought. "Um, darling?

Cress looked up. "Yes?"

There was a short silence. "I'm so grateful for everything and I'm sure it's going to be delicious ... who is going to eat all that stuff?"

It _was_ a lot of food, she agreed (and she hadn't even told him about the _yabluchnyk_ , the honey cake she had prepared for dessert). But they had travelled through so many countries together that summer, she wanted to recreate the experience. Cress was glad that even with Captain's interference, she had managed to buy and cook everything she had planned. "We are. I thought we would eat as much as we can and the rest goes in the fridge for the next few days. "

"Sounds like a plan." Thorne looked as if he couldn't wait to dig in, so they filled their plates with a bit of everything, grabbed the wine before moving back into the living room for the rest. They settled on the floor in comfort, eating and drinking and reminiscing with all the photos Cress had put up. Thorne praised the food, making Cress giddy that her hard work paid off.

"Oh, remember that?" Cress, who had just taken a bite of the of the Varenyky Thorne had offered, glanced at the photo he held up. It showed Cress and Thorne, both tanner than now, leaning against the rail of a ship they had taken from Italy down to Greece. Thorne sported a carefree grin, his arms around her and Cress's hair blew in the wind. It was a cute pic, but Cress wasn't quite sure what Thorne referred to.

Cress swallowed before asking, "You mean the boat trip to Antirrio?"

Thorne set his plate aside, pointing to the photo, roughly where Cress's head was. There was a secretive smile etched on the corner of his lips. "Your necklace. You must have lost it on the ship but you still wear it here."

"Oh." Cress had been devastated when she realised that her necklace was gone. It hadn't been expensive and didn't have much sentimental value, but she had worn that cheap little necklace with the crescent moon pendant for years. Still, it was thoughtful that Thorne remembered it at all.

"I'm sorry you lost it." He nuzzled her neck, caressing the back of it and Cress felt something cold. "I know it's not the same but I hope you'll like it nonetheless."

Cress hand flew to her neck where she could feel a necklace she hadn't worn seconds ago. "Thorne?"

He looked into her eyes, sincere and full of love. "Happy anniversary, Cress."

"We said no presents!"

Thorne laughed. "And all of this?" He gestured to the food and the decorations. "That's a year's effort worth of presents."

Cress pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Instead she stood up and made her way to the mirror in the hallway (which Thorne had insisted on). "Oh." The golden necklace was delicate, just long enough to brush below her collarbone. A diamond-studded crescent moon hung from it while tiny golden stars were attached to either side. It was exquisite and more so, it was exactly something she loved to wear. Cress didn't have an eye for expensive things like Thorne did and never spent much money on them, but even she could tell that this necklace, as thin as the chain and as small as the pendant were, must have been expensive.

She could hear Thorne approaching her before he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "So, you like it?"

Cress laughed shakily as she turned around in his embrace. "Like it? I love it, it's so beautiful." Her fingers trailed the chain. "But it must have been expe—"

He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "So? It's our first anniversary. And I came into some money today. A deal paid off exactly how I wanted it, so I thought I should buy my wife something nice." He grinned. "Except if you want me to return it—"

This time, Cress interrupted him before he could finish with a deep kiss. She had longed for this the whole day. Wanting to be with him, kiss him, feel him. She had loved their easy conversation, the reminiscing, the gift, but now ... now she wanted, _needed_ more of him.

Cress allowed herself to dictate the pace, every moment filled with urgency. Thorne reciprocated eagerly, pulling her closer before his lips trailed down the side of her face, easily finding her favourite spot to be kissed, just below her jawline. A happy sigh escaped Cress's lips and she could feel his grin against her neck. Her hands started roaming his body, the width of his shoulders and chest where she worked her way through the buttons of his shirt one by one.

"Cress ...," he whispered her name but didn't say anything else. Instead, she could feel him making quick work of her dress, his urgent tugging only interrupted by more languid kisses that set her whole body aflame.

Impatient, Cress pulled his shirt off, caressing every inch of his body that by now was almost as familiar to her as her own. His moans encouraged her, her lips and fingertips trailing over his chest as she led them both back into the living room. She had no idea how they made it to the couch without stepping into food or breaking any plates. Together, they tumbled onto the couch, Cress letting out a squeal when Thorne's body squished her.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Maybe we should have gone to the bedroom?"

But Cress was more interested in opening his belt buckles. "Too"—She whimpered as Thorne settled between her legs, his weight delicious—"far away."

She heard his chuckle. "So impatient."

Cress huffed. She refrained from pointing out that he wasn't much better than her. After all, there were so many more interesting things she could do with her mouth. She drew him in for another kiss while the sensations he elicited from her body were both exciting and torturous. He moved ever so slightly over her, gaining access to every spot he knew she liked, making her whole body shudder.

But he broke the kiss. Instead, the feverish urgency of their kisses was replaced by Thorne's fingers trailing gently over her cheek. "Cress." He coaxed her until she opened her eyes. He looked at her, the soft light casting his face in shadows. Cress felt a twinge of something inexplicable she couldn't place, a flicker of recognition, which passed as quickly as it had come as he inched down, his eyes shining bright blue in the dimmed room.

A strand of his usual perfectly-styled hair fell onto his forehead as he leaned down. "I love you."

Warmth spread through Cress's body, deeper and more profound than any throes of passion ever could. "I love you too."

* * *

Throes of passion were rather nice after all, Cress decided. Her head rested lazily on Thorne's chest, his heartbeat not as erratic as it had been when she had slumped on top of him a few minutes ago ... or maybe half an hour ago. Cress had lost all track of time since then. She could easily use her powers to look up the current time, but then she got distracted by a languid kiss or the trail of Thorne's fingers that left goosebumps on her spine.

"We should take all the food into the fridge. It would be shame if we let it go bad after all the effort you put into it."

Cress groaned. Thorne was right but she wasn't inclined to move. She would rather have him play with her hair some more until she dozed off. She mumbled something but even she wasn't quite sure what. She heard his laugh.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it," he said with a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Before she knew it, he was up, but it must have happened so quickly that Cress couldn't say how he moved from under her. One second he was there, firm and warm beneath her, the next, there was nothing but the soft cushions of the couch. But then she got distracted by the view he provided as he collected the plates, not bothering with any clothes. He winked when he noticed her stare.

"See something you like?"

"Mh-hmm." Cress smiled appreciatively. "You cleaning up the living room."

"Oh, so that turns you on?" He made a show to stack the plates, flexing his muscles in the process as much as possible. "Then look at that, one-handed. That should make you swoon alright." Balancing the dishes on one arm, he carefully turned towards the kitchen, showing off his defined back.

"Make sure not to break anything," Cress called after him.

"Yes, yes."

She heard him rummaging in the kitchen, and for lack of anything better to do, she linked herself to the net, checking the time and news. Another supervillain had terrorised the outskirts of Beijing but had been defeated by Mechanic. Protesters had gathered in Buenos Aires to call for immediate and secure imprisonment of any human with super powers, no matter what they used their powers for. Some engineer from Oslo proclaimed he found a new weapon against superhumans which involved moon dust, though there was much criticism concerning his findings. Gossip reporters were trying to figure out the reasons for Iko's sudden departure from Milan during fashion week, being delighted by the scandal, the most popular rumour being that the model was pregnant, on drugs, was one of the superpowered humans or that she was pregnant with a superpowered human because of drugs. Cress huffed in annoyance when her eyes snagged on the breaking news:

 _Captain strikes again ~~~ Two_ _Venezuelan_ _dream dolls stolen ~~~ Priceless artefacts gone without a trace_

Cress cursed in Ukrainian. Of course he found the dream dolls. Of course he took them. There was no way he couldn't get his hands on something he wanted if it wasn't well hidden. Captain could steal many more things, but he only targeted specific pieces. Cress assumed he only stole when he was commissioned by someone else he could then sell it to. If only the police had taken more precautions. Maybe if she had taken them with her, but maybe that was stealing too? She didn't even know, but once more, the futility of chasing Captain struck her.

"Everything alright?" Thorne asked, popping his head into the doorway.

"Um ..." Cress tried to come up with an explanation. "I forgot that I also made some cake and we didn't get to try it."

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "You can still eat?" Cress nodded even though cake hadn't been on her mind at all. "Yeah, me too. I saw it in the fridge and it looks great. I'll bring us a piece."

"Thanks," Cress called, less excited about the prospect of a nice dessert. It wouldn't do to let the news get to her though. It was bound to happen after all. As soon as the police put the dolls back in the museum where they belonged, Captain could steal them without any trouble. The only thing that should truly concern her were her father's documents, his research on the Lunar eclipse and the superpowers they caused in a few hundred people across the globe. She had no idea how but she had to get them back. That was her priority.

When Thorne came back with the piece of cake and fed her the first bite, Cress made up her mind to not let Captain spoil her happy anniversary any more than he already had.

Nope, today was just about her and Thorne, and their wonderful normal life as Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Welcome to my new fic! I hope you enjoyed the new idea and little twists. It's different from my other fics in some ways but how could I resist a superhero Cresswell story? ;) Please let me know what you think of 'Masks'!_

 _Thanks to kanouchi for betareading and lovelunarchron for coming up with the summary. You're both awesome!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : _I usually don't explain details of my fics because usually, I think they're very self-explanatory, have already been mentioned in previous chapters or will be revealed in later ones. However, before people are confused about picking 'Smith' as a last name for Thorne and Cress which I assume is the case from some of the comments, let's remember the desert scenes in 'Cress' when Cress and Thorne were found by Jina, Kwende, Jamal, etc. Who pretended to be married and gave a fake last name? And which last name was it again? ;)_

 _And since I'm already writing my author's note, I definitely appreciate reviews. So, please, if you enjoy this fic or my other fics, take time to review. Thank you._

* * *

"Morning, love."

Cress angled her head, so Thorne could place the expected kiss on her cheek, hardly looking up from her fashion magazine. She knew she could use her powers to browse the same magazine online but she enjoyed turning the thin pages, placing dog-ears on her favourite pages and making a few notes on the newest trends (though she skipped the blue braids that were so popular at the moment). She wasn't particularly interested in buying something new but she enjoyed the simple routine to start her day.

"Morning," she greeted back, taking another sip from her coffee.

Thorne looked over her shoulder. "I like this one," he said, pointing to one of the dresses she had marked with a deep-cut back. His voice dropped to a raspy whisper. "Though what you're wearing now is my favourite. Aside from wearing nothing, of course." He easily evaded the slight jab to his ribs, making his way to the counter to prepare his own coffee and toast.

Not without blowing her a kiss that should be infuriating but instead made her laugh. She shook her head as she looked down at what she was wearing at the moment - Thorne's shirt.

And not very much else.

Of course he would like that.

"When's the baby shower again," Thorne asked between bites, taking a seat across from her her. He was already showered, dressed and styled. Then again, he had the time since he didn't mind leaving a mess in his wake. Cress could bet the bed was still unmade and all the bottles and tubes he used were still uncapped and lying around the bathroom. She told herself not to be too bothered by this habit.

"At five. You think you can make it?"

Thorne's schedule was erratic as hers, though hers was due to her superhero activities. She was grateful that Thorne's job wasn't the usual nine-to-five—it made her irregular hours less suspicious.

"Sure." He didn't look very excited about this though. "What about you?"

She gave him a cheeky grin. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I think I might make it on time."

Thorne's response was an exaggerated sigh. "Bummer."

"Oh come on, you like Carina and Anthony."

He swallowed before answering. "I do, but I can't say a baby shower is my idea of a fun evening." His features suddenly lit up. He wagged his eyebrows mischievously. "Not like yesterday. Now that was what I'd call a fun evening. What do you say, can't we just ditch the whole baby shower thing and do something that is really the only fun part about the whole baby business?" He looked incredibly pleased with his idea.

"Ah-ah, no chance. We're going. And don't think I don't know you're joking. You bought the biggest gift basket in the shop. As if you would miss out a chance to present it to the Kennards." Cress had only shaken her head at the exorbitant gift basket Thorne made the lady at the baby store put together (though Cress hadn't been able to resist any of the tiny baby socks, the pretty keepsake boxes or the stuffed animals, either). Thorne really knew no limits when it came to stuff like that. Her fingers went up to her neck, playing with her new necklace. She couldn't say she minded this habit of his at least. Then something occurred to her. "I didn't know you could have a baby shower after the baby is born?"

"It's not common but possible. And Carina apparently didn't feel well enough to have a baby shower in the weeks before the birth. I think they had a more private celebration with their families then." He shrugged. "I'm fine with just a few friends."

"Me too," Cress agreed. She was still struggling to make friends in New York where everyone had a busy but fairly regular schedule. She, on the other hand, worked as an independent IT consultant. Not even close to what she had her degree in, but her new powers made it possible. And that way, she could pick her jobs as needed, explaining the odd hours to Thorne. But without any regular contact with co-workers, she so far had no luck integrating herself into any social circle. Even Carina and Anthony were just their neighbours.

"So five o'clock it is." He finished his toast and the last sips of his coffee. "I'll be on time to pick you up." He walked around the table to kiss her head. "Love you."

"Ahem." Cress pursed her lips pointing to the plate and cup Thorne had left on the table. "I thought you were at least trying to keep the kitchen clean, Thorne."

"You're right, babe. Sorry." To his credit, Thorne seemed sincerely sorry. He immediately grabbed his dishes and carried them to the sink where he rinsed a bit of water on them.

Cress didn't like nagging but there were a few things she knew were important if you were living together and basic cleanliness was part of it. Still ... "I'm not asking too much of you?"

Thorne turned to face her, considering her question. "I feel you're not asking enough," he finally said with a smile.

"Okay. Well, thank you for trying to keep the kitchen clean."

"Well, thank you for not making me do my bed every morning." He glanced at his watch. "Okay, I gotta go. See you later."

She pulled him in for a quick kiss. "Bye."

He left and Cress finished the rest of her breakfast, tidying up her things and a few of the things that Thorne left behind in the bathroom. As much as he cared about his own appearance (and his part of the closet was actually way more tidy then hers), Thorne certainly was messy about many other things.

She linked herself to the net to place the order for the brownies she wanted to bring to the baby shower when an emergency alert popped up in front of her eyes.

 _Mutant alert in Brooklyn ~~~ Lone wolf monster threatens civilians ~~~ Mutant alert in Brooklyn ~~~ Police advise everyone to avoid the area in and around Prospect Park_

Cress cursed, dropping everything she had been holding, her mind whirring, jumping from security cam to security cam until she caught sight of the wolf monster on one of them.

By the time, Cress exited her home, she was already Satellite.

* * *

Even for an omega, he was fast and strong. The betas and gammas she had encountered were usually at least to some degree predictable in their movements but the single-minded viciousness of the omega in front of her threw her off. His sharpened claws had already cut into her skin several times.

Satellite might be faster and stronger than Cress ever was but she was no match for a wolf monster. Not without a power that let her attack.

Blood seeped through her suit, the injury not life-threatening but certainly slowing her down. She tried to keep him occupied, so he wouldn't run off to hurt any civilians that came his way, but it became harder and harder for her too keep up with the omega's attacks.

And she had no idea what to do.

This wasn't at all like her trying to snatch back some priceless artefacts from Captain. He might infuriate her but he never ever tried to hurt her.

Out of breath, she jumped out of reach and into a nearby tree, just to give herself a few seconds to ponder her options. The omega snarled, his grin evil as he knew that he was superior to her.

"Tsk, tsk, little hero. Afraid of the big bad wolf?" He taunted her in a voice that, despite the heavy Middle Eatern accent, was way to smooth for the likes of him.

He was a far-cry from being big. More puny than the other wolf soldiers but that wasn't helping Satellite at all. He was still stronger than her. Her hand pressed to her side and she cursed, knowing she would have to try and hide the gash from Thorne for days to come.

Thorne.

Whenever she was in a fight like this, she tried not to think of him. Thorne, who was her beacon of love and hope and normalcy in this new crazy world she lived in. Thorne, who had no idea what double-life his wife was leading.

Thorne, who—she was scared to admit to herself—she might never see again if she didn't find a way to stop the wolf monster.

The omega didn't seem to be too bothered by her hiding. "You don't want to play anymore, little hero?" He pouted in an exaggerated way that made his deformed features stand out even more. "I liked you as a weak little plaything. I wanted to play with you some more ... after I defeated you and you begged me for mercy."

Satellite shuddered at what his husky tones implied. She frantically thought of something to do. It didn't help that they were in a park where, aside from a few security cams, there was nothing she could use her powers with. Despair ran up her spine in cold waves. Even if she were in the middle of a computer room, there was nothing she could do to defeat him.

Absolutely nothing.

In a dark corner in the back of her mind, a little voice whispered that maybe that was the reason she was so focused on Captain.

Because he was the only other super-powered human she actually had a chance against with.

And maybe that was just because he never actually tried to hurt her.

Her hands gripped at the bark, trying to rid herself of anything that would throw off her focus. No more thoughts of Thorne, no more thoughts of Captain.

It was just her against the omega.

"If you don't like to be my plaything anymore, I'll have to find someone else." He sniffed and snarled, his posture exuding brutal confidence. "Like the policemen and women waiting outside, too scared to face me. I wonder what they'll do if I meet them? What do you think?"

"They'll shoot you on sight." Which was the practice now with anyone who had superpowers and who threatened people. No mercy with the bad guys, no chance to apprehend them and give them a trial. Basic human rights didn't extend to the likes of super-powered terrorists, as the press were quick to call them.

Even from afar, she could see the glint of the omega's fangs. "Maybe so. But how many will I rip apart until someone manages to actually hit me? Five? Twelve? All of them? I think I would like to find out ... since you're not inclined to do anything but pretend to be a hero."

He turned around with a grin that chilled Satellite to the bones, before crouching down and darting through the meadow towards the outskirts of the park.

Cursing, Satellite leaped down from her tree, frantically following him. He was faster but pure despair kept her on his heels. She linked herself into the park's computer system, hacking herself into every security cam and power distributor, into every lamp surrounding their path, overloading them so they exploded one by one when he passed them. Shards and pieces of plastic rained down at him, sparks of electricity singed at his hair and clothes.

It did nothing to stop him.

It was still enough to distract him just enough so Satellite could jump at his back, throwing off his balance. Her hands grabbed at everything she could reach, his hair, his ears, the corner of his mouth. He howled when she managed to poke his left eye and Satellite felt something wet on her fingers.

His claw-like hands grabbed at her, tearing at her suit and threw her so far away that she was rammed into a tree. Pain shot up her body but on pure instinct, she let herself roll away, his sharp nails grasping at the earth where, a second before, her head had been.

"You bitch!" His voice had lost every bit of the smoothness. "You'll pay for that!"

Satellite leaped away from him but her movements were sluggish and she had lost her bearings. Her foot caught on a rock, almost causing her to tumble down a slope.

The omega used that split second to tackle her and together, they fell down the rocky hill, his sharpened fangs only inches away from her neck. Her superhero suit was strong and durable but Satellite knew it was no match for those fangs. One wrong move and he would tear her throat to pieces.

Then it was over and the rolling stopped.

The omega was on top of her, pinning her down.

He leaned down and Satellite could smell a sweet perfume wafting off of him. Then she felt his finger, stroking her neck in an almost affectionate fashion. His firm grip made it impossible for her to turn away. "Got you," he purred.

His face relaxed and with his striking green eyes, though one of them bloodshot where she had managed to hurt him, she could almost see the man he had once been. Maybe not quite attractive, but handsome.

Somehow, this scared her more than his deformed wolfish features ever could.

He howled in triumph, his animalistic sound echoing off into the distance. "Time to die, little hero. I promise, I won't make it quick." His hands started to wrap around her throat and where they had caressed her before, they now squeezed the air out of her. Satellite struggled, trying to throw the omega off her but he effortlessly pinned her down, her throat racing with pain. Her lungs slowly realised that they weren't getting any air, burning with every breath she didn't take. Black spots danced in front of her eyes. Pitiful sounds escaped her mouth in an attempt to get some air.

She was about to die.

Defeated by one puny omega because she was so, so powerless.

She started to lose consciousness, the pain in her body, that had been so all-encompassing before, slowly fading away. Her mind spun, images of her father, so far in Beijing, of Thorne who didn't even know that his wife wouldn't be able meet him at home, of Captain whom she wished would save her like he did once before—

—when she heard the most deafening roar and suddenly, finally, the weight of the omega was thrown off her body and Satellite's lungs grasped for air before her mind registered that they could. Painful, heaving gasps of air, that hurt even though they saved her life.

In the distance, she could hear a fight, growling, skin ripping, but it took a few more moments for Satellite to gather her bearings enough to understand what she was seeing.

A masked man, taller than she had ever seen, fought the omega.

And the omega ... was losing.

He snarled and hissed but even with his sharp claws, he was no match for the new fighter.

The new fighter. A superhero like her.

Next to him, she couldn't believe that she ever thought that the omega was fast and strong. Now his movements seemed sluggish, his attacks never hitting their mark. Whoever the new hero was, he effortlessly combated the omega. The only thing they had in common was their viciousness as they clawed at each other, drawing blood. Nothing told her what the new hero's super power was aside from that immense strength and agility.

Satellite clutched at her throat, the pain fading away into a dull reminder where the omega's hands had squeezed. She knew she had only survived by sheer luck and not due to her own powers but right now, she was just glad to be alive.

The fight ended abruptly when the hero threw the omega against the rock wall. The grating sound of snapping bones sickened Satellite and the omega lay at the ground at a twisted angle, his back broken. His yelps and whimpers clutched at her soul and Satellite had to turn away.

The new fighter stared at his broken opponent, his fists clenching and unclenching. His profile allowed Satellite to see the hints of something wolfish in his mask design. When he turned around to face her, green eyes that were too glaring and too striking to be natural were visible behind his mask.

Eyes that were like all the other wolf monsters she had encountered before.

With slow steps, he approached her. Huge as he was, Satellite gave into her first, not very super-heroish instinct and scrambled away.

He stopped.

A few moments filled with awkward silence passed, only interrupted by the ragged breaths of the omega as he struggled to stay alive.

It didn't last long.

The new superhero looked back to the broken figure, which now laid completely still. Beneath the mask, Satellite could see his jaw flex in agitation.

Pity washed over Satellite though she couldn't tell why. She struggled to her feet. "Thank—" A coughing fit took over her, her bruised throat burning like fire. She heaved, gathered saliva in her mouth and swallowed it in an attempt to sooth her throat. It helped a little, so she tried again. "Thank you ... for saving me," she croaked.

He kept standing where he was, probably worried she would step back again if he tried to get closer again. Satellite gathered all her courage and approached him. He was even taller up-close, everything about him should be fierce and scary.

But instead, his features was tinged with sadness.

He growled at her thanks. "Are you alright?" His voice was raspy and thick with an accent that Satellite would place somewhere in the Middle East. Just like the omega. She had no idea what to make of it.

She nodded. "How did you find me?"

"I heard his howls." He pointed to the omega. "They led me here."

"Oh." A pause. "Who are you?"

His eyes gleamed behind the mask. "Wolf." A small grin allowed her to see his fangs, just for a second. She could hardly suppress a shudder.

"I'm Satellite." She gave a small wave. He didn't return it. "So, um, Wolf then. What a coincidence. Wolf, wolf mutants ... right?"

A flicker that Satellite thought could be amusement crossed his features. "No coincidence. They're engineered to be like me."

When Satellite realised what he had said, she gasped. "You're the alpha!"

Her father was convinced that those engineered wolf mutants had to got their DNA from some source. Very likely, a superhuman being like Satellite, Captain, Mechanic or Red who had gotten their powers during the Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse. They all displayed the same powers and their appearance was grotesque, inhuman. As if their bodies hadn't been able to handle the change.

Depending how well they did handle the change though, Satellite had gathered, they referred to themselves by ranks which repeated themselves within each pack. Betas, gammas and omegas. But none of them so far had been an alpha.

Or rather, _the_ alpha.

Staring at him, it was no wonder that whoever came up with the plan to use his DNA to engineer a whole group of super-powered humans had picked Wolf. The sheer power he radiated was incredible. If a simple omega had managed to overpower her, she couldn't imagine what the alpha was capable of.

It made her once more realise how unassuming and weak her own powers were. No one would pick her powers to replicate, that was for sure.

Wolf was shuffling his feet, like he was uneasy at her realisation. "Word has spread of that, then?"

It didn't and she didn't want him to worry about it. Without her connections to her father, she wouldn't have known either. "No, just ... I have my sources."

He cocked his head. "What are your powers?"

Dread washed over her. How could she tell him about her dumb powers when he was _the_ alpha? She already felt so insignificant in his presence. "Um, it's just cyberpathy."

For the first time since he appeared, Wolf seemed hesitant. "Cyber ..." He trailed off.

"Cyberpathy," Satellite repeated. "It's when you can control any kind of electronic or digital signal. Like hacking into computer systems with my mind," she supplied when he still seemed confused. It seemed the easiest way to explain even though her powers could do a bit more than that.

"Interesting," he said even though Cress could tell he hadn't exactly grasped what she had told him.

Satellite gave a short laugh, though it scratched her throat. "Yeah right. It didn't help me against _him_."

Wolf glanced back at the omega. As if against his own will, he walked towards the figure on the ground, kneeling beside it. "There aren't many who are a match against one of them. Even just an omega." With his mask on, Satellite couldn't read any of his feelings but the low voice held a myriad of emotions she couldn't guess at. "Least of all one as vicious as him. Not all of the pack members revel in the violence like he did."

"You know him?"

"His name was Ran." He suddenly fell very still and only then did Satellite notice how much he had fidgeted up until then. He didn't say anything for a long time and when he did, his voice was hushed. "He was my brother."

Brother? She looked down at the omega. His face was still etched with viciousness even now and Satellite couldn't believe that the blood-thirsty monster who had almost killed her was the brother of the hero who had saved her. It didn't seem possible but there was no reason to doubt him.

Though her fingers were shaking, she put her hand on Wolf's shoulder. He tensed for a second before she felt his own gloved fingers reaching up to touch hers. The moment didn't last long but it was all that Satellite had to offer.

"I wish our mother wouldn't find out about what happened to him." Wolf pulled himself up but even though he still towered over her, he didn't feel as tall as before.

Satellite had met some superheroes since the Lunar eclipse. When she visited her dad in Beijing, another super-powered human, Inferno, had set some districts ablaze with his fire powers. Afterwards, together with Thorne in Paris, another villain manipulated the electricity around him, allowing Voltage to lay waste to everything around him. In the first fight, a superhero called Mechanic was barely able to defeat Inferno by replicating the powers of both Satellite and Captain. In the second, Satellite had teamed up with Red.

No one, neither hero nor villain had revealed anything about themselves. Not like Wolf had just done. For someone as strong as Wolf, Satellite was surprised that he left himself so open.

So vulnerable.

Hearing the sirens in the distance, Satellite knew it was only a matter of time until the police would enter the park. They would find the omega and by running tests and matching his DNA with international databases, they would surely find out who the omega had been.

And possibly, they would find out who Wolf was too.

If there were no records though ... "Leave it to me. Don't worry, no one will find out who he is ... was," she corrected herself.

"What?"

Satellite cleared her sore throat. "I can hack into the police's database. Obscure every evidence about who he has been. Whatever they might find, it won't lead back to him, or your mother ... or you."

Disbelief crossed over his face, clear enough so Satellite could detect it even with his mask on. "You can do that?"

She pointed to herself. "Cyperpathy. I told you that's my power." She shrugged. "You saved my life. It's the least I can do."

He looked like he wanted to argue but thought better of it. "Thank you." He suddenly tensed. His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air around him. "We can't stay here much longer. The police are entering the park from several directions."

Satellite surveyed the meadow and the group of trees beyond but as far as she could tell, the park was still empty. "How can you tell?"

He pointed to himself. "Wolf senses," he told her with the hint of a smile on his lips. It took Satellite a few seconds to realise that he had mimicked her. "We should split and hide until they pass us by. Alright?"

Astonished that he'd run his plan by her like her opinion mattered, like she could veto it, Cress could only nod dumbfoundedly.

Wolf pointed in one direction. "I'll take this route. If you keep close to the trees in that direction"—he pointed back to the way she had come in before she and the omega had fallen down the slope—"you should be able to escape without being noticed."

Satellite had no reason not to trust him. "Thank you." Preparing herself to climb back up the slope, she turned back to Wolf. "For everything. Stay safe, Wolf."

He nodded. "You too, Satellite." He glanced a last time back to the body of his brother. Satellite caught him saying something in a different language she couldn't place (it wasn't Arabic but maybe Hebrew?) before turning around and running off faster than Satellite had ever seen someone run. Already he was beyond her field of vision.

Her body ached but she did as she was told. She crouched down and jumped up the slope. With her having broken all the security cams, she couldn't use them to survey the route of the police, but she was small and despite her injuries, fast enough.

Soon, she was at the outskirts of the park and gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Hi guys, sorry but updates will be kinda slow for the unforeseeable future. I got a new job and I'm still finding my way into it (wish me luck). But I got a few chapters prepared in advance and kiminicricket does a great job betareading them for me. So, there are still a few chapters of Masks, PoR and one chapter of PEA ready to be published. I hope that once I settled into my job, I can pick up writing a little bit again._

 _As for this chapter, everyone mentioned in this chapter is from Thorne's side story in Stars Above, 'The Carswell Guide to Being Lucky'. I needed a gang and since I can't use Cinder, Kai & Co. (who are all over the world, being superheroes), I had to come up with a new one. I made up their personalities, so I hope you enjoy them even if it's not our usual TLC crew._

 _Enjoy and please take time to review. I promise you every review motivates me to write. :)_

* * *

Cress flinched as she gingerly closed the last button on the high collar of her dress. If she placed her short, wavy hair right and maybe used one of her colourful scarves, then hopefully no one would notice the glaring bruises on her neck. She was sure she could hide them from the people at the baby party but from Thorne? He would surely notice. If not the bruises then her blood-shot eyes, her careful movements, and scratchy voice.

Cress healed faster than the average person but it would still take at least two days until she recovered from her fight with Ran. Even hacking into the police's database and falsifying their findings ever so slightly had zapped her of more strength than usual. She dreaded keeping up with the police's progress for the weeks to come but she had made that promise to Wolf and she would try her best to ensure that no one would ever find out who the omega had been.

Right now, she would give anything to crawl into bed and just rest and let the painkillers she had taken work their magic. But she couldn't get out of the baby shower without raising questions from Thorne.

"Cress? Are you ready?" Thorne called from down the hallway.

Her throat ached with the effort it took to raise her voice. "Just a minute."

"What?"

Cress huffed in annoyance. Talking in her normal voice already hurt, yelling was out of the question. She didn't answer a second time, instead she looked around for a scarf in one of her drawers.

The door to the bedroom opened behind her and Thorne's head popped in. "Hey, are you ready to go?"

Tired and injured, Cress snapped. "I told you I would be there in a minute!" The sharp tone pained her damaged vocal cords and Cress dissolved into a coughing fit. Every cough shook her, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. It took her a few moments to calm down and only then did she notice Thorne rubbing circles around her back. It was a futile gesture but Cress was too weak to fight it.

When it was over, Thorne took her in his arms and Cress allowed herself to lean against him.

"Is everything alright? Are you sick?" She could hear the worry in his voice as his hand felt her forehead. "No fever, that's good."

"I'm fine. Just got something stuck down my throat," she said sharply. Before he could question her further, she turned around and grabbed the scarf, wrapping the thin fabric skillfully around her neck to hide her bruises. The colourful floral print toned down the severity of the dress, giving it a much more casual look. She had only picked the dress because of its high-collar, though it was probably a bit formal for a baby shower.

When she caught a glance of Thorne in the mirror, he looked uncomfortably at everything but her, his hand scratching at the back of his neck. Cress felt a flicker of regret. He had done nothing wrong but she was using every bit of energy just to keep it together.

Still, she couldn't behave like that at the baby shower. She needed to push through the pain. Cress plastered a smile on her face and turned to Thorne. "I'm feeling better now. We should hurry or we're going to be late."

Thorne eyed her for a few seconds but eventually nodded. If he wasn't convinced by her sudden change, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he smiled too and together, they left.

"Are you crazy, man?" Anthony hardly welcomed Cress and Thorne, too distracted by the huge gift basket Thorne was holding with some difficulty. "Did you buy the whole store? Look at this, it's too big to fit through the door!"

"Har-di-har," Thorne huffed but struggled with the weight. "Now move out of the way so I can set it down."

Anthony moved aside but Thorne still needed to turn the basket so it would fit through the door. Maybe they had overdone it just a bit with the gifts, Cress thought.

"Really, this is way too much, Cress. You shouldn't have bought so many things." Anthony hugged her while Thorne walked into the living room where he was greeted from the other guests. Cress could hear them make room for him and help him set up the basket.

"Oh, you know how it is. When we were at the store, there were so many beautiful things and well, we couldn't resist. We just got excited, I guess."

"Okay, well, thank you then." He helped her out of her jacket but Cress made sure to keep her scarf on. "Carina is upstairs feeding the baby but she should be down soon. Can I offer you something? No alcohol"—He looked dismayed at that—"but we have non-alcoholic beer, sodas, and juices. We've got that grape juice you like, I'll get you a glass."

Cress followed him into the living room, a pit forming in her stomach. Meeting new people and starting conversations was difficult for her. She had gained some confidence since she got her superpowers, but it didn't often carry over to her normal life as Cress. She was glad that Thorne was with her. He had no trouble talking to anyone who crossed his path.

Already, he was joking when she entered the room and Cress was relieved to see a few familiar faces - well, except for Blakely who was just done hugging Thorne and did her best to give Cress a fake smile.

Cress could have really done without that familiar face.

"Did you rob the store, Thorne?" Chien cackled. "Hey, Cress." He waved a hand which held a fork but didn't make any attempts to stand up. Instead he shoveled potato salad into his mouth, engrossed with the food.

Thorne's hand found her lower back, a bit more at ease now. Their walk to the Kennards had been short but tense. "Why does everyone say it's too big? It's perfectly sized. Ask Cress, the lady at the store assured us it was a fairly common size for a gift basket."

"Did you ever consider she just wanted to sell you that huge-ass gift basket?"

"Language, Chien," Blakely hissed, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Oh, please, Blakely, where are we, in pre-school?" Anthony entered, carrying a glass with grape juice for Cress and offered a non-alcoholic beer to Thorne with shrug.

Thorne raised an eyebrow. "Judging from the choice of beverages, it certainly feels like it." He still took a few sips.

Anthony sent him an amused glare. "I was told in no uncertain terms that if Carina couldn't have any alcohol, neither could anyone else. And believe me, you don't want to break the rules Carina set up." He turned to Cress. "I can't wait for you to see my boy. Be prepared to meet the fattest baby ever."

Cress was unsure if he was joking but Blakely chimed in. "Oh, that is not true, Anthony! How can you say that? He is the most beautiful baby. Such a darling. I saw him at the hospital and he was just the cutest. Did you already see him, Thorne?"

"Unfortunately, I was a bit busy. We both were." He gave Cress's hip a squeeze and while she usually delighted in his touch (and not-so-subtle way of telling Blakely to back off), he was dangerously close to her bruised hip. She adjusted herself slightly in his arms.

Blakely pursed her lips when she saw where Thorne's hand was. "Well, I just had to come as soon as possible and see him. I'm never too busy for my friends."

"Thank you, Blakely," Anthony said amiably. He turned to Cress and Thorne. "I'm a really bad host. Let me hit you up with some food ... before you meet my fat baby."

They followed him into the kitchen, greeting Rob and Ryan as they made their way into the living room with plates full of food. They ran into a woman Cress didn't know but who introduced herself as Kate Fallow. Nice, if quiet, Cress took an instant liking to her. She had brought puff pastries and a cake, which made Cress realize that she had forgotten the brownies she had intended to bring. She hoped the gift basket was enough to hide the fact that Cress and Thorne forgot to bring anything edible.

"As you know, whatever you need just take it. The fridge is yours."

"Thanks Anthony." Thorne filled a plate for himself and helped Cress with hers. "So, how is it being a dad? Kid keeping you up at night?" He asked, chewing on a piece of bread.

"Everything's fine. Who needs sleep, right?" Anthony joked.

"Do you have a name for him yet?" Cress asked. So far, she hadn't heard anyone calling the baby by name (and 'fat baby' certainly didn't count). And by now he was almost two weeks old.

Anthony grabbed a few chips, munching thoughtfully. "No, not yet. Carina and I had a few ideas and I had some really cool names picked out for him. Like Jax. Dexter. Or Kace. Just imagine: 'Kace Kennard, FBI'," he declared in a deep voice. "Something really cool, you know?"

Thorne nodded approvingly which worried Cress.

"But then he popped out and as I said, it's like a big blob. And he just doesn't look like a cool action hero. More like Carina's uncle Ainsley who was an accountant."

"But ... he won't always look like a ... big blob," Cress said in a hushed voice as if she was scared the baby could hear her. "You can't go by how he looks now."

"Yeah but really, he does look like her uncle. I held some glasses to his face and it's scary. Like a tiny fat accountant who wants me to pay my bills." He chuckled good-naturedly. "Anyway, so the cool names are out of the question. And really, you'll agree with me when you see him. He needs something really old and weird. Like ... Norwood. Or Ainsley, like Carina's uncle. Maybe even Quincy." He shuddered. "Or Carswell."

Thorne, who had just taken a sip of his beer, broke into a coughing fit.

"Woah, buddy!" Both Anthony and Cress hit on Thorne's back to help stabilize him. "You okay?"

"I'm... fine," Thorne coughed a last time. He wiped at his eyes, his whole face red. "Just got something stuck down my throat."

Cress rubbed soothingly on Thorne's back, a bit taken aback. Thorne always was very smooth and in control. With his red cheeks and wet eyes, she almost didn't recognise him. She knew he didn't like looking anything less than impeccable, so she steered Anthony's attention back to the topic at hand.

"I don't know. I don't think Carswell is too bad." Both men looked at her aghast. Thorne's eyes held a hint of suspicion that made her laugh. "Seriously! I mean, Quincy or Ainsley aren't great, and Norwood is just terrible. Seriously, Anthony, you can't do that to your child." She shrugged. "But Carswell is kinda hot."

"Oooh, careful, Thorne." Anthony cackled. "Or your wife is running off with the first Carswell that comes her way," he nudged Thorne who still looked at her in disbelief ... and was it wonder she detected? But then the door bell rang and Anthony excused himself. "Let's see who's here. If it's a Carswell, should I send him straight your way, Cress?"

Cress rolled her eyes but Anthony had already gone to greet the new guests. She focused on her food, nibbling on some puff pastry Kate had prepared. It was deliciously filled and Cress made a note to ask her for the recipe. She hardly noticed that Thorne hadn't touched his plate. He leaned casually against the kitchen counter but the way he stared at her intensely belied his indifferent body language.

"So ... Carswell, huh."

"Oh, not you too. What? It's a good name. I like it." She had no idea why they were so set against Carswell. It wasn't a name she was familiar with (she certainly didn't know any Carswells not even back when she had studied in England) but it had a nice ring to it.

Thorne leaned forward. "I didn't know that you had a thing for it, that's all." His mouth was curved in his familiar easy smile but his blue eyes had an expression she couldn't read. "Want to call me Carswell tonight?"

Cress sputtered. "Don't be weird. Why are you so hung-up on it? Because I said I like the name Carswell?" She bumped her hip against him, teasing him, "Are you jealous?"

"Of Carswell? Nah. Who would ever be jealous of a guy named Carswell?"

Cress raised her eyebrow in question but Thorne had already started to carry his plate and drink into the living room. Not in the mood to dissect Thorne's weird behaviour, she followed him.

"Oh, he's so cute, Carina," Blakely cooed, holding the baby. "You should pick a name soon."

"I know," Carina agreed with a pointed look at Anthony. "We just can't agree on the same name."

"Cress is voting for Carswell," Anthony announced with a smirk.

Usually, Cress liked Anthony and his easy humour, but today her body ached and she was exhausted, so she only had weak smile for him. She tried her best to appear okay even though shewanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and sleep for days.

"Ew, Cress," Blakely admonished, her pretty face in a sneer. "You can't be serious, Carswell is a horrible name! Only ugly, stuffy nerds are called Carswell."

If Cress had only a weak smile for Anthony, she had even less than that for Blakely. There was a tense silence (except for an uncomfortable cough from Thorne) for a few seconds before Anthony chimed in, "Yeah, well, we can't call him 'the fat baby' forever. We would appreciate some suggestions. The one with the best name gets an actual alcoholic drink."

Rob, Ryan and Chien cheered, "Count us in," before discussing possible baby names between them.

Carina pursed her lips. "Stop calling him the fat baby. He isn't fat."

"Sure thing, darling."

"Don't 'darling' me. He isn't fat! And don't think I don't know you're saying he looks like my uncle to everyone. It's not true! Look down at your own belly and maybe consider he might just look like you," she told him with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Yep, you're absolutely right, dar—Carina." But as soon as Carina moved on to a discussion with Blakely about if the baby's name should start with 'K' like their surname. Anthony whispered conspiratorially to Cress and Thorne. "You know, I was actually quite skinny growing up but Carina as a baby? Her family put her in a watermelon costume for her first Halloween and placed her next to a real watermelon. Even the watermelon looked slim. If you don't believe me, I have the photos to prove it."

"What photos do you have?" Carina asked, her attention again on her husband.

"Just of our baby right after birth. Precious memories." He winked at Cress and Thorne. "Okay, who wants to hold the baby next?"

"I think Thorne should hold him. I'm sure he's _amazing_ with kids."

It took a lot for Cress not to snap at Blakely who looked adoringly at Thorne as if Cress wasn't there. She usually didn't say anything when Blakely hit on Thorne, ignoring the fact that he and Cress were married. She felt uncomfortable calling Blakely out and every time, Thorne was quick to do something that made it clear whom he was in love with. Still, Blakely's shameless behaviour grated on her nerves, today moreso than usual.

Beside her, Thorne stood up, puffing out his chest. "I'll let you know, Blakely, that I'm amazing with everything and everyone. Just ask my wife. Right, Cress?"

Cress tipped her chin as if in thought. "You have your moments."

Everyone laughed and Thorne held a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. "Ouch, that hurt," earning him another round of laughter - from everyone but Blakely who just glowered in her corner of the couch.

Something about Thorne's words gave Cress pause. She could swear she had heard them before but couldn't place where. Before she could try and figure it out Thorne sat down next to Blakely (who took the opportunity to scoot way too close for Cress's liking). He gingerly took the baby in his arms.

"Careful with his head," Carina said, as if anyone would drop the baby the minute it was out of her arms.

" _Careful_ is my middle name. Right after _suave_ and _daring_ ," Thorne answered but didn't take his eyes off the bundle in his arms. "Well, hello there, little fellow."

He continued to babble at the child. It was too young to do much really, but he had stopped fussing and was staring up at Thorne with big eyes.

There must have been an odd expression on her face because Kate next to her leaned over to whisper, "Everything alright?"

Cress nodded but before she could say anything Chien answered for her. "Probably wants to have a baby now that she's seeing this one. She's got that look. Classic baby eyes. Run, Thorne." Chien snickered but hardly anyone else chimed in.

"That's not—," Cress started but already Kate had spoken up.

"Not every woman is just waiting to get pregnant. It's ignorant to say that."

Cress was surprised by Kate's words. She hadn't raised her voice at all but even so, her words carried through the room. But when all attention was on her, she hid her face behind some thick brown strands of hair.

Chien huffed. "Don't believe me? I've got four sisters and been to plenty baby showers. I know baby eyes when I see them."

Rob and another girl names Elia joined in the argument but it was Blakely who could be heard the clearest. "Stop it, Chien. They're too young to even think about kids yet."

That statement was met with some amusement from the guests. Thorne continued to gently cradle the bundle in his arms but Cress could see the sudden tenseness in his jaw.

Carina laughed. "Blakely, Cress and Thorne have been married for a year now. And Cress, you're what, one year younger than me?"

"I'm twenty-two, yes."

That didn't seem to satisfy Blakely at all. "Yes, but you and Anthony have been together for five years now. Thorne and Cress basically met weeks before they got married. If Cress hadn't needed the papers to get—"

"Careful, Blakely." Though his tone was soft, Thorne's voice cut through the room. He hadn't taken his eyes off the baby but his warning to Blakely was clear.

There was a short uncomfortable silence. Easy-going as he usually was, it was almost impossible to make Thorne truly angry. Even in situations where others would be mad, or at least, annoyed, he kept his composure. Cress knew he disliked open confrontation, preferring to smooth over any conflict with a joke - which bothered her like crazy during a fight. But it only confirmed how serious Thorne was now when Blakely questioned the relationship between him and Cress and it warmed Cress to the core.

"I didn't mean, you know ... I just wanted to say—" Blakely sputtered but Thorne interrupted her smoothly by talking to the baby again.

"What is it, Mr. Kennard Jr.? You have urgent business to discuss with your mother? I certainly will refer you to her right this second." He offered Carina the baby who cradled it happily, only too glad to have her son back. Until...

"Oh, who's got a full smelly diaper?" She excused herself, though not without a glare at Thorne. "I thought you were so cute just now but you just wanted me to take care of the diaper, right?"

Thorne winked at her. "Yep. But you thought I was cute and that's all that matters."

The tension was broken and everyone started to chat while Carina took care of the baby. Cress played with the necklace Thorne had given her, lost in thought.

She knew without a doubt that she had no baby eyes, as Chien called it. Blakely was right about how quickly Thorne and Cress had gotten married and they were still navigating being together. But it had been the right decision, one that shouldn't be questioned by anyone, least of all Blakely.

No, Cress wasn't worried about having baby eyes. She was worried about _Thorne_ having them.

Maybe not now but soon. He was a normal guy, with a normal job and as far as he knew, they both led a very normal life. He didn't know about his wife's double-life, the dangers she was getting herself into just to be a hero worthy of her powers.

A mediocre hero at best.

It wasn't fair to Thorne, the secrets she was keeping from him. Not to mention that if anyone were to find out who Satellite truly was they would try to find her, hurt her and, in the process, find Thorne and hurt him too. He was in as much danger as she was, and he didn't even know about it. He had no way to defend himself.

But as Satellite, she also couldn't plan for a normal life that included children. How could she be a superhero and a mom? Being a superhero and a wife was already difficult enough.

For now, she knew the topic of children wasn't on the table. But who knew how long that would last?

"You were quiet tonight." It was the first thing Thorne had said since they arrived at home. It might have to do with Cress snapping at him sharply for the better part of the last half an hour, so he had left her mostly alone at the Kennards. Which had been exactly what she had wanted then. "Everything alright?"

"Mhm-hm." Weary to the bone, Cress was barely holding herself up. Every bit of strength had left her and she wanted nothing more than to fall into bed but now she realised that changing into her pyjamas would require even more excuses so he wouldn't spot the marks on her throat. She had no choice, she had to pretend to be sick. "I just don't feel very well." Her voice cracked a bit which sold her lie even better.

Thorne, who had carefully kept his distance from her tonight, slowly stepped closer, the slightest hint relief washing over his face. "I thought so. You should have stayed at home, resting."

But when he tried to reach out to her, Cress evaded his touch, grabbed her pajamas from her side of the bed and made her way to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Slowly, she changed clothes, every muscle in her body aching. She left the scarf on, so it might look like she had a sore throat. Eyes already drooping, she just stumbled out of the bathroom. Thorne wasn't in their bedroom anymore Cress noticed as she let herself fall into bed, her body overtaken by exhaustion.

There was no way of knowing how long she had slept but suddenly she was aware of someone softly brushing hair from her face. It was a soothing touch.

Cress cracked an eye open. Thorne sat on her side of the bed, but it was dark so she only saw his shadow. "I didn't want to wake you."

Making sure that the scarf was still hiding her bruises, Cress sat up groggily. "What time is it?"

"Half past twelve."

But Cress had already looked up the time in her mind. She also pulled up the documents on the omega, making sure to alter their DNA results slightly so they wouldn't match with whoever Ran had been before. She also checked her alert on Captain who had the most successful raid in New York so far while she had been occupied with the wolf mutant. Two museums, two antique shops and one jewellery store.

Cress rubbed her eyes. "Why are you still up?"

It wasn't unusual for either of them to stay up late but she had expected him to be asleep next to her already. Or maybe he had left to have some peace and quiet. Cress had treated him badly today, snapping at him for no reason. She wouldn't blame him if he stayed in the living room, watching TV so he could avoid another snappy remark by her.

But Thorne's voice was kind when he replied, "I just wanted to check in on you. And I went and bought a few things. Chicken broth, some fruit, tissues, a few meds. Stuff like that. Whatever you might need tomorrow to get better soon."

And just like that, Cress burst into tears.

Heavy sobs shook her body that was still hurting. Thick, hot tears streamed down her face, her throat burning with every shaken breath.

The events of the day came crashing down in one second, the fight against the wolf mutant, the panic of almost dying at his hands, the bruises on her body, the baby shower where she had to keep up appearances, Blakely, Captain whom she just couldn't stop.

But more than anything, she felt so ashamed for the way she had treated Thorne today. And he still went and bought anything one could need to treat a cold. Because he thought she was sick - one of the many lies Cress had told him over the last year and a half.

Strong arms embraced her, drawing her close to Thorne's warmth. He rocked her gently, kissing the top of her head. He didn't say anything, didn't ask, just held her in his arms. Cress smelled the fresh scent of fabric softener and Thorne's skin, warm and familiar.

He deserved so much better than her.

A wife who wasn't lying to him at every point and turn at least. And for what? For proving herself to be a mediocre superhero with lame powers? If she really made a difference, if she could catch Captain and actually defeat any bad guy that came her way it would make it worth it, or at least understandable. But as it was?

Her sobs quietened down to mere sniffles but neither Cress nor Thorne moved.

"I'm sorry, Thorne."

"For what?"

Her fingers played with the soft hair at the back of Thorne's neck. "I was mean to you today. Horrible, really." She knew that was only half the truth, but it was all she could offer to him.

Thorne laughed, his stubble tickling her ear. "Yeah, you were."

"Hey!" Cress moved away from him a little, rubbing her tears away. "You weren't supposed to agree."

"Just kidding." He pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "You weren't horrible but I knew something was off. I'm just glad you weren't mad at me for some reason."

Cress huffed but didn't say anything. On the night cabinet she spotted a box of tissues, probably brought by Thorne. She took one and blew her nose, rolling her eyes when Thorne made a face.

"Cress?"

"Hm?" She crumpled the tissue and threw it somewhere. She was sick, she was allowed to be a bit messy. And she was allowed to cuddle close to her husband as much as he wanted, not caring about leaving unladylike fluids on his shirt.

"I just wondered ... was there anything else?"

"What do you mean?"

She could feel his fingers trail the length of her spine. "Just ... are you just cranky—"

"Not cranky," Cress pouted playfully.

"Noted. Are you just not as charmingly cute as usual because of your cold? Or is anything else the matter?"

Cress thought to her fight with the wolf mutant, her unsuccessful ways of dealing with Captain and her generally less than impressive superhero career. Cress decided this would be her last lie. "No. Nothing's the matter."

And it would be, she swore to herself. She was done being a superhero. No more lies, no more patrolling at odd hours, no more fights she would lose or futile attempts to get her father's research papers back from Captain.

No more Satellite.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up the next morning, Cress felt a little bit better. Her throat didn't hurt as much anymore and the bruises and cuts the wolf mutant had given her were slowly healing. Her body still felt like it had been through a mincer but Cress looked forward to spending the day in bed. Even if most of it would be spent sleeping.

She hugged herself closer into the blanket when Thorne popped his head into the doorway. "Oh, you're up. Good." Before Cress could reply, he left and she heard him clanking through the kitchen. Cress hid herself under the blanket, allowing herself a few more precious moments of laziness.

She heard the door open again and, peeking through a hole in the blanket, she saw him carrying a tray.

"Breakfast is served. Canned chicken broth, piping hot lemon water, and delicious decongestants capsules for dessert." He sat the tray on her nightstand. "All made with an extra helping of love." A hand snaked under the covers, finding her shoulder, then her head. "Ah, there you are."

Cress sat up. Realistically, she knew that she had no need for any of the things Thorne brought but it was too sweet a gesture to pass up. "Thank you."

Thorne handed her the cup with the hot lemon water. "You look better today."

"I feel better too."

"You don't have an assignment today, right?"

Cress blew on the hot beverage to cool it down. "Nope, nothing on the agenda today. I have one tomorrow though."

To be as flexible as possible in her superhero duties, Cress was working as an independent IT consultant. Which made sense given her powers. Various companies and private households commissioned her, rather than her working for one company on a regular basis. That way she could pick her jobs making sudden disappearances or late night shifts easier to explain.

At least, that's how she had done it since she arrived in the US. Now that she left her double-life as Satellite behind, she might as well start working for a company. A steady job with co-workers and regular shifts might be just what she needed.

Or she could work in the field she had her degree in. But as soon as she thought it, Cress knew that wouldn't be possible. She couldn't use her diploma where her real name was printed. She might be able to forge papers like she did when she married Thorne but it was too risky.

Thorne had only known her as Cress Erland, not as Crescent Moon Darnel.

It had been a split decision not to give him her real name. The less people who knew that she was related to Dr. Sage Darnel, the less people would be able to make the connection of whose DNA he had used to base his research on the superhumans on.

The papers that Captain had stolen.

She couldn't dwell on that though. She had tried for over a year to get her father's papers back and failed. Once she could find out whom Captain sold them too, maybe then she could get them back.

For now, Satellite's fight against Captain was over. And Crescent Moon Darnel was to remain Cress Smith.

Thorne's hand found one frizzy strand of her hair and smoothed it back. "See how you feel first. You need to rest. If you don't feel better, can you reschedule?"

"I guess." The hot lemon water might not be the best remedy for her bruised throat, as it scratched and hurt from the few sips she tried. She switched to the chicken broth. "Do you have to meet a client today?"

He looked conflicted. "Not if you need me."

Cress waved his concerns away. "Nah. I'll be sleeping for most of the day. And I'm perfectly cared for," she told him, pointing to the tray. "I might move to the living room and watch some TV though."

Thorne snapped his fingers. "A-ha! See if we got a TV in the bedroom like I said, you wouldn't have to move!"

She glared at him. "No TV in the bedroom."

It was a point they had discussed several times over the last year. Thorne apparently liked having his morning coffee in bed and watching some news on the stock market, instead of looking it up on his phone. For Cress, whose brain was always buzzing with electronic and digital waves, even if she tuned them out, she preferred not adding to it with a TV in close proximity of where she slept. Especially since her powers had the side effect of affecting her sleep. Cress never really knew if she was dreaming or if some waves were infiltrating her brain. There was no way she could tell Thorne about that though.

"Okay, okay." Thorne held up his hands in defeat. "Then let's get you to the living room."

* * *

Three hours later, Cress had zapped her way through several talk shows, two game shows, one daily soap, three documentaries and an old episode of some TV show she liked as a kid. Too lazy to even hold the controller while she was comfortably lying on the couch, Cress just used her powers to switch channels.

She said she would stop being Satellite, not stop using her powers after all.

Now, she felt woozy from all the TV (and the painkillers she had taken probably). Americans had way too many programs. And it seemed like more often than not, there was something related to the superhumans. Cress had stopped watching them awhile ago as they were often wrong, ridiculous or mean (though she definitely had a bookmark on the articles _Why Satellite is the best superhero_ , _Thesuperhero nerds love: Satellite_ , and the ones where she ranked pretty high on one list or another).

The newest idea was that the superhumans were not humans at all but aliens from the moon whose powers were only activated after the last Lunar eclipse. Strangely, most people, even if they didn't agree with the idea itself, had taken to the new name given to the superhumans - Lunars. Some even called for a special organisation where the superhumans, who fought crime banded together: The Lunar League. With so many superheroes spread around the globe, Cress had no idea how this could work but it wasn't her concern anymore. It might still be an interesting idea for the other superheroes.

When the news switched to Captain's latest raid and what he stole, she turned the TV off, feeling the tug of a bad conscience at letting Captain roaming unsupervised now that she had made the decision not to be Satellite anymore. She snuggled herself deeper into the covers of her blanket, about to doze off and not thinking about it further when Thorne came into the room from the kitchen and sat on the armrest of the couch. "You need anything?"

A sweet question if he hadn't come in every twenty minutes asking the very same thing. Cress almost groaned but she didn't want to snap at him when he tried to be sweet. "No, Thorne, I'm good. Just trying to get a bit of sleep." She looked up at him, thinking how to phrase her next words so they wouldn't come off as rude. "I thought you wanted to meet a client?"

"Only if you really don't need me?"

Another question he had asked her just as much. "No, I'm really good. Look." Cress curled herself into the blanket, perfectly rolled up in it up to her nose. "See, I'm cozy and sleepy and won't need anything but rest," she muffled through the blanket.

When she looked up at Thorne, the corners of his lips were lifted up in amusement. "Okay, okay. I get it. You want me gone. The meeting is in three hours. Think you can manage that long with me around?"

Cress yawned. "Just so."

"Very gracious of you."

"Hm-mhm." She felt him softly brush her forehead before he left.

She must have dozed off for a bit but then she heard a sweet melody. Popping an eye open, she saw Thorne winding up a small music box. It was exquisitely crafted in what looked liked gold and seemed very old. Cress's body felt too heavy to sit up properly but she craned her neck as Thorne placed the music box on the couch table. Cress listened to the melody, almost like a lullaby. "This is so beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"It's for the client I'll meet today. It's one of the objects I had to acquire for him." Wringing his hands when he said it, Thorne looked almost nervous though Cress couldn't tell why. "I thought you'd like to listen to it for awhile until you're asleep ..." He trailed off.

Cress knew that Thorne's job involved acquiring lots of things. It had started with finding replacement parts for an old car of his and then he made a little business out of it. He knew how to network, had a way to find obscure, rare things. Especially books which Cress loved because it sounded so romantic to find rare first editions. She also knew that he also dealt in antiques, so this music box was no surprise for her.

Still, it was rare that she saw the things he acquired, preferring to keep them safe (depending on their size) in a vault or storage room he rented rather than their apartment.

Thorne glanced at her as he wound the music box up one more time."I'll let you sleep now."

He left and the melody started again, the song unfamiliar but there was something soothing about it and her lids drooped once more. She fell asleep with the melody playing in the background.

* * *

Weeks passed and Cress had to admit that not being Satellite from one day to the other was harder than she would have thought. She had to learn not to react to every siren, every police call or every time Captain stole another rare or expensive object. It made every nerve in her body itch with the need to do something—anything.

But it got easier with time and Cress allowed herself to make some new plans. She and Thorne had met each other while travelling and New York was not necessarily meant to be a permanent place for them. They had wanted to settle down and get a feel for being married. Or just being together actually. She knew they did it kind of backwards but it had worked out well for them so far, no matter what people like Blakely might think.

Blakely, who was currently sharing a table with her, Thorne, Anthony, Carina holding baby Charlie (he finally got a name, Cress had been happy to learn), Shan and Kate. They were in a small coffee shop Shan worked for which Thorne looked less happy about. He had finished off his cake and coffee and was now inspecting the baby strollers and squealing children around them with suspicion.

Cress snickered. So much for 'baby eyes'.

"Guys, sorry, but how did we get from bars, cocktails, and beer pong to coffee shops, vegan brownies—"A kid crawled next to their table, kicking at Thorne's chair"—and annoying children."

"They're not annoying," Carina cried. "They are all precious. Aren't they, Charlie?" A woman hurried to them, picking up the child from the ground when it started to scream and kick against his mother. Even Carina looked dismayed.

Thorne glared at Carina but waited until the mother and her screaming child were out of earshot. "Precious, huh? Face it Carina, kids suck." He then leaned forward, stroking Charlie's belly, making the baby squeal happily. "Except you, you delightful little pumpkin."

"Aww," the girls cooed which seemed to please Thorne, Cress noticed with an eyeroll. Anthony just shook his head, mouthing 'sucker' at him. When Anthony noticed Carina's glare he pretended to be very interested in his coffee cup.

"I was never a fan of bars and beer pong," Kate admitted, steering the conversation back to what Thorne had said.

"Big surprise there," Blakely sneered under her breath but caught herself when everyone turned to her. "I mean, you're obviously not the partying type."

Finding Blakely's comment thoroughly rude, Cress looked over to Kate but she just shrugged. "No, never have been. I don't like getting drunk just so I don't feel left out."

"No one should be forced to drink," Thorne agreed with a smile at Kate. "Still, nothing wrong with a party and a few drinks from time to time. But okay, no party. But do we really need to hang out at—" he glanced at the menu, grimacing"— _Mugs, Rugs & Hugs_?"

"It's a family-friendly business, Thorne. Not every place is happy to have families with small children at their place," Carina reminded him, cradling Charlie as if to remind Thorne of their newest addition to the group.

"We're not just for families," Shan reminded Carina curtly. Cress had the feeling that this purely family-friendly business wasn't an image that sat right with Shan. "I'll let you know that we're a super hip place. We had a few reporters and bloggers come here to interview us and take photos. Our purple cheesecake is all over Instagram." She raised an eyebrow at Thorne, daring him to disagree with her.

"I know, I know." Looking over the menu once more, he suddenly perked up and found Cress's knee under the table, stroking the bare skin. She wasn't quite sure if he only craved the touch or enjoyed being a bit more daring in view of the parents and children around them. Not that Cress cared about it either way as she just enjoyed the caress. "I didn't mean to insult the fanciness that is _Mugs, Rugs & Hugs_." Anthony snickered, earning him a reproachful glare from both Shan and Carina. Thorne took the opportunity to draw small circles on Cress's skin, making her shudder. Thorne continued unperturbed. "But okay, what are everyone's plans for the weekend then? Anything where we could hang out together?"

"Oh, there's a reading by Joel Kimbrough. We talked about his books, I know you read them too." Kate said excitedly to Thorne.

"Who?" Cress asked.

"You don't know him?" Cress shook her head but she could tell that Blakely, Carina, Anthony and Shan apparently didn't know the author either. It would only take Cress a few seconds to look him up in her mind but there was a proud glint in Thorne's eyes. "Huh, you usually know everything. He's a science fiction author, known for his space adventures."

Kate nodded. "There are so many layers to his stories and he will take questions! It's rare that he goes to readings these days so I can't wait. I've prepared a few questions in advance," she whispered as if sharing a secret.

No one else looked enthusiastic about it though. Blakely, at least, managed to keep any comments to herself this time.

Shan took a sip of her cappuccino. "I doubt that's for me. I never liked reading." She laughed at Kate's horrified gasp. "What, it's true. Books just bore me so quickly. Anyway, I talked to this hot guy online and he asked if we could meet this weekend. He's a street artist and wants to take me to his friend's art gallery. They're going show some light installations about, oh, I don't know. The relationship between spiritualism, consumerism and technology or something. I don't remember and really, isn't it all the same? Originality is dead. But he's super cute so whatever." She flipped her hair, making her pretty curls bounce. "Not sure we'll be staying long but you can come along if you want?"

The corners of Thorne's mouth dropped in displeasure. "An art gallery? Might as well go the reading." He sent an apologetic smile at Kate. "Sorry, Kate, that wasn't what I meant. Just that this isn't quite what I was looking for this weekend."

"I understand," Kate said curtly. "So, you don't want me to get your copy of _Space Ranger on the Ninth Moon_ signed then?"

"Oh." He smiled sheepishly. "No, that would be nice actually. Thank you, Kate."

Cress looked up at Thorne. " _Space Ranger on the Ninth Moon_?" She asked, amused by the title. She hadn't taken Thorne for someone who was an ardent fan of what sounded like pulp magazines.

"They're really good." He shrugged but she could see the slight blush on his neck. "And as Kate said, Kimbrough writes pretty deep stuff. His works often employ the vast emptiness of space as a symbol of loneliness and the battles each of us face against our own personal demons. In the end, his protagonists overcome their feelings of insecurity only after they accept the help of an unlikely assistant, such as an android or an alien or"—his mouth quirked to one side—"pretty girl who happens to be a skilled marksman when she's handed a high-powered ray gun," he added with another stroke of Cress's knee, up the inside of her thigh.

By now, Cress had become suspicious of Thorne's affections. It wasn't as if Thorne wasn't against PDA per se but this was more than he usual did, especially since they were surrounded by their friends. And he had that sneaky grin on his face as if he was the only one in on a secret but Cress doubted anyone else noticed.

Kate was talking about the plot of _Space Ranger on the Ninth Moon_ and Thorne's hand travelled higher up Cress's skirt to the point Cress had to squeeze her thighs together, effectively trapping Thorne's hand between them. "Stop it," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

Thorne peered at her, all innocent. "I can't help it. I'm just following the rules of this fine establishment." At Cress's curious glance, he slid the menu over to her.

Cress read it over, slowly starting to grin. Of course, he would get ideas from that.

 _Hugs, Mugs & Rugs_ apparently prided itself on being a place for more than just coffee (mugs) and comfort (rugs). They invited you to mingle with the other guests, meet new people, exchanging hugs or—as they phrased it—"get a feel of your neighbour. Touch them, hold them, share the love."

Snorting, Cress glanced at the hand between her knees. One thumb had escaped her grasp and resumed stroking her skin in circling motions. "That's not a hug though," she said matter-of-factly.

Thorne pretended to be surprised. "No? Hm, must be doing something wrong then. Still, I'm pretty sure I got the 'getting a feel of your neighbour'-part _just_ right." He bit his lip, obviously pleased by his cleverness, making Cress giggle.

"And what are you two doing?" Shan asked them with suspicion.

"Just sharing the love like your coffee shop wants us to do." Thorne explained proudly, but his hands slipped into more safer regions.

"Gross. That's not what it's about. You can play footsie at home." She looked at Carina. "How long does this newlywed phase last?"

It was Anthony who answered though. "Until you're having a kid," he muttered. When that earned him a round of raised eyebrows, he quickly backtracked. "Because then, the best part is about to start! Really, if I had known what having a child would mean, I would have planned for one much sooner. I should have gotten her pregnant at our wedding— _no_ , right when I met Carina-bam! Instant family happiness." He pressed a quick kiss to his son's head but kept his eyes on Carina, gauging her reaction. "Love you?"

Carina bit the inside of her cheek. "You better."

Thorne steered the conversation to the topic at hand. "Okay, so we have a book reading, an art gallery ... Carina, Anthony? Blakely? Any plans? Please?"

Carina and Anthony looked apologetic and Cress doubted they had anything planned. The couple had made themselves rare after the birth of Charlie, rather having people over than going out. That only left Blakely who seemed ecstatic that the spotlight was finally on her.

"I'll accompany Rob and Ryan to a wine tasting. I mean he does them all the time since he's a sommelier but this time it's way cooler. One of Ryan's celebrity friends has their own vineyard and is sells his own wine. And Rob told me there is always someone famous participating. Last time, there had been Gil, the singer, and this time the rumour is that Iko is coming. She's here for fashion week! Can you imagine me meeting her?!" There was an excited pitch in Blakely's voice, making it hard to follow her.

Thorne groaned. "Guys, seriously? What's going on? We can't spend our weekends like posh old people. We're young, we should do something ... _anything_ that is actual fun." He looked accusatorily at the group. "You make me feel old."

"You are the oldest one," Anthony pointed out.

Thorne made an indignant sound. "I'm twenty-six." He turned to Cress. "We need new friends, Cress."

Cress just shook her head at Thorne while he defended himself to the group. Still, she appreciated his efforts to plan a fun weekend with friends. He hadn't said as much but she could tell. Aside from a few times they met their neighbours Carina and Anthony and their friends and co-workers, Cress hadn't really managed to find friends of her own. Thorne, for his outgoing nature, had also only just moved to New York a few weeks before they met and didn't have any other contacts besides their neighbours either.

The first few weeks after Cress moved to the US, she and Thorne were only involved with each other. He had shown her around, trying to give her the full American experience (her favourite had been a drive-in cinema which she knew from the movies and always wanted to visit—it ended up being more about making-out rather than the movie but Cress had hardly been one to complain about that). And they still loved spending time together but to really settle down and start a life in New York, Cress knew that in the long run, she needed friends and a more steady job.

A normal life.

Cress hoped that things were about to change now. With her double-life as Satellite behind her, Cress had more time and a less erratic schedule. Before, she had always had to make sure to come up with excuses to Thorne if she were late for a date or had to leave without so much as a hurried explanation. It had been easy to blame it on her job—the odd hours, the spontaneous calls she had to answer and the disappearance stunts she had to pull.

Since Thorne had learned that she had a free weekend, he had exactly two plans: Some fun activity with friends on Saturday and, as he called it, "sexy times" for just the two of them on Sunday.

Seemed like so far, their plans for Saturday didn't work out the way they had anticipated. Cress herself wasn't opposed to going to a book reading, or an art gallery, or even the wine tasting but Thorne was right—it all sounded very fancy. And kinda stuffy.

"Okay, okay." Thorne held up his hands in defeat. "You're all super fun people with exciting lives. The Rolling Stones would be jealous." He sighed. "I was just hoping for something more casual."

"We can plan for something more casual next weekend?" Anthony offered. "Poker night with the guys?"

"Ah, so the casual weekend plans are just for the guys?" Carina challenged.

Anthony squirmed on his chair. "You mind?"

Carina shrugged. "Whatever, knock yourself out. Charlie and mommy will have special weekend plans too, isn't that right, Charlie?" She continued to babble to her child while Anthony and Thorne high-fived discreetly.

Shan crossed her arms. "So, the girls aren't invited? Shame on you, Thorne."

Thorne held up his hands. "Never said that. You can come but assuming that you hit it off with art-gallery guy"—he leaned conspiratorially towards her—"I doubt you want to play poker with the guys next weekend. Or am I wrong?"

Shan grinned. "No." She turned to Blakely. "I still need to go shopping, you want to come along?"

The group resumed planning their week and Cress suddenly realised that she could make plans too. She could join Shan and Blakely for shopping (probably wouldn't happen but still) or visit Carina or maybe meet Kate for coffee. She didn't have to come up with excuses if duty called.

And she and Thorne could have the entire weekend to themselves.

All because she wasn't Satellite anymore.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Big thanks to kiminicricket for betareading, the fic would be very messy without you. :) Also, a big thank you to everyone who left a review, I appreciate it as every fanfic writer does._


	5. Chapter 5

"Just one bite."

"No."

"Cress, come on, just one bite. Believe me, it's great."

She moved her head from side to side, pressing her mouth into a thin line in hopes to evade the food Thorne was trying to offer her. "It's disgusting that's what it is." The scent of the fried cookie almost made her gag.

Cress thought she was already used to the overload of sugar and fat that was American food but there was no way she could have imagined the extent of it until they arrived at the fair. The hot dogs and the cotton candy were no surprise to her, they had those back home too. But going from food stall to food stall, she quickly learned that the most popular food apparently came in only two forms: Either deep-fried or on a stick - at worst, both.

That's how Cress had come across deep-fried mashed potatoes, candy bars of every sort, s'mores, pickles, breakfast sandwiches, and sausages. Basically everything that was half-way edible had been deep-fried and put on a stick.

Cress was not impressed.

Thorne apparently had no qualms. "Don't be a spoil-sport. It's really not bad." He waved the deep-fried Oreo in front of her and with an annoyed grunt, Cress took a small bite to shut him up. It wasn't as gross as she had imagined but really, Oreos were fine on their own, what was the point of overpowering the taste with all that grease?

Still, it was better than those candy corns she had tried during her first week after moving to New York. Those had been just nasty.

Pleased, Thorne eyed her dessert. "Since I let you take a bite from mine, I think it would be only fair if you returned the favour, don't you think?"

Ah, so that had been his intention. "Hm, a lousy bite of a greasy Oreo for the taste of my delicious Belgian waffle?" She pretended to think. "Nah, thanks." She took another bite of her waffle, chuckling when she saw his pout.

"But we're married! That means that half of your stuff belongs to me. Including this waffle." He made a show to take a bite of her waffle before she quickly pulled it out of reach.

"Good point. I would have to share - if you wanted to get a divorce that is."

Thorne made a funny noise. "No waffle would be worth that." He pulled her closer to him, kissing her temple. "Don't even joke about it."

The sudden shift in Thorne's voice, now low and sincere, rather than light and boisterous, made her heart thump with joy. Snuggling against him so her shoulder was pressed against his chest, Cress held up her waffle for Thorne to take a bite out of it. The kiss that followed was just as sweet with a hint of powdery sugar still on his lips.

After they ate, they continued to tour the fair. It suddenly struck Cress that this was one of the few places where her powers would be useless. She couldn't cheat on any of the games or lottery. It made her feel more normal than usual. Except that now she had no way of winning any of the cute stuffed animals.

While Cress eyed one of the ring tossing booths, Thorne pulled her to one of the shooting booths. "Ah, I haven't tried my hands at one of these in a long time," he said, pulling a few dollars from his pocket.

Cress glanced around the booth while Thorne tested the weight of the rifles. It didn't seem like there were many prizes to be won but Thorne seemed to have his eyes on the game where one could shoot flowers. She would love to have one of those. Still, she leaned over to whisper into his ear, "Don't you think the game might be rigged? There are often news segments about how impossible it is to win."

"Only one way to find out." Thorne leaned forward to steady the rifle, one eye closed as he concentrated. He didn't move for a few seconds and then shot five times in quick succession.

Three plastic flowers fell down.

Cress clapped in excitement. Eyebrows furrowed, Thorne paid for another round and won another three flowers.

The game worker's wrinkled face lit up with smile as picked them up and, with a small bow, handed them to Cress. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady."

Cress blushed at the earnest compliment. "Thank you."

"Complimenting my wife? Shouldn't that be my job?" But Thorne grinned as he handed the rifle back.

The man clapped Thorne's shoulder. "It is, boy, and don't you forget it. Pretty lady like that, you're lucky."

His hand found the side of her hip, squeezing it lightly. "Always am."

Cress melted against him. There was something special about the way Thorne was always so open with his feelings for her. He never tried to be cool or play them off like other guys sometimes did. It had been one of the things that had drawn her to him almost right away. There was an honesty to Thorne that was hard to resist.

"You were really good with the rifle," Cress said. "The game wasn't rigged then?"

"No, I don't think so. It's just that is has been awhile since the last time I shot. I don't think the rifles were tampered with but a few years ago I should have been able to hit five out of five."

"Wow. Where did you learn how to shoot?"

Thorne looked over a ring tossing booth where a few boys tried their luck but Cress had the feeling he wasn't interested in the game. "My father sometimes took me hunting in the summer. He taught me how to shoot."

"Ah." Americans and their guns. But it was rare that Thorne spoke about his parents. They had some kind of fall-out years ago and had no contact since then. Why, Cress didn't know. She didn't feel comfortable pushing for answers when she herself kept some secrets from Thorne. He knew her father lived in Beijing because of his work but since she never gave Thorne her real name and she and her father had decided to keep contact at a minimum until his research was done, the two of them had never met either.

Unsure of what to say, Cress let a few seconds pass. "He was in the military, right?"

"I told you that?" He looked genuinely surprised. "You're right. Yeah, he was a big deal too. Always wanted me to join the army like him. So during summer we often went out camping and hunting with a few of his friends and their sons. And you know how boys are."

Cress didn't and Thorne laughed at her expression. "A bunch of teenage guys with rifles and some cute girls from a nearby town to impress? Yeah, we all tried to be the best. That's how I learned to shoot but apparently, I'm not that good anymore. Still fantastic but not quite," he said with a wink. Then his face changed as something occurred to him. "Hey, what about you? Would you like to try?"

"Um, I don't know. Yes?"

But Thorne had already pulled her back to the shooting booth and paid for another round. "It's the lady's turn," he told the old man who looked only too happy to have them back. He handed Cress a rifle and she was surprised by the weight.

Thorne stepped behind her, positioning the rifle in her hands and together, they leaned forward, her back to his chest. Thorne steadied her arm with one hand, the other had slipped under the hem of her jacket and gripped her waist. Cress's heart thumped so loudly in her throat that she could hardly hear his instructions.

"... and then focus on your target. Don't get distracted by anything else just focus on the piece of plastic you need to shoot to get the flower you want."

Easier said than done with his hand burning at her hip but Cress closed one eye and picked a little purple carnation.

"Take your time. Relax, you've got all the time in the world."

Cress took a breath and shot, squealing as she did so. The little piece of plastic chipped at the top but otherwise, stayed intact. The first miss.

"Oh, I don't know, Thorne. Maybe you should do it."

"Nope, you got it. Believe me."

Unconvinced, Cress nevertheless lifted the rifle again. She concentrated on the same flower but this time she anticipated the recoil and bang when she pressed the trigger. A yellow daffodil fell down.

"See, you got it! Amazing, and at your second try." Thorne beamed down at her and Cress didn't have the heart to tell him that she had her eyes on a different flower. But still, she won one flower so she didn't feel like a total loser.

The next two shots missed her target but on the fifth try, she finally won her purple carnation. The old man congratulated her and Thorne planted a quick peck to her temple. The eight plastic flowers they won made a nice little bouquet but she was glad to hand the rifle back.

They continued to play at a few other booths with Thorne excelling at basketball toss and teaching her skee ball. Cress was surprisingly good at balloon dart throw so together they won a few trinkets. A peacock feather, two pens, a pineapple keychain, a small strawberry stuffed toy, a heart-eyes emoji bag clip and a blinking bracelet but otherwise, nothing big.

That's when Cress saw the cutest stuffed toys in one of the crane machines. Big-eyed, fluffy and ridiculously adorable. They were a far-cry from being realistic, rather pillow-shaped and ...

... Cress wanted one.

She inserted a coin but a few tries in, she had to concede that it was harder than it looked. Or it was rigged. Cress wished she could use her powers a bit to confound the machine's timer, giving her more time to position the joystick but it was no use.

"You know I could just buy you a stuffed toy, right?" Thorne had leaned against the glass, studying the crane as it came up empty-handed again. "These have probably been in there for ages and smell bad."

She ignored him, pulling the last coin in the slot. "I don't want just any stuffed toy but look at this one"—she pointed at one stuffed animal that resembled a cat—"it's so cute. I had a similar one back home my father gave me." There was no way she could have brought every piece of her belongings to the US with her but that stuffed toy would remind her of home.

If she could win it, that is.

The crane finally managed to hold onto the stuffed toy Cress wanted to win but on the way up, the cat escaped its grasp and fell down to where it had lain before. "Oh, boo."

Cress looked through her purse for more coins but even the few coins at the bottom weren't enough for another round. She did find a five-dollar note though. She just needed to change it and then she would allow herself only five more tries to win her stuffed animal.

She looked at Thorne. "I'll quickly change my money. Can you maybe look up some tricks on how to crack the machine? There must be a way to get a prize right? Other people win it too."

He raised an eyebrow, taking another look at the plush cat. "You really want it that much?"

"Yes." She made her way to the next booth. "And make sure no one else wins it."

Cress changed her money, trying to think of a strategy that would work. When she came back, Thorne still leaned casually against the booth.

With the stuffed animal she had wanted to win in his hand.

"What?" Looking between him, the fluffy cat and the crane machine, Cress was at a loss for words. "When? How ... huh?"

He chuckled. "Yes?"

"How did you manage to win the toy?!"

"Want to steal my tricks?" When she nodded, he tapped her nose playfully. "Ah-ah, one should never reveal their tricks. That goes for magicians, criminal masterminds and awesome husbands who win stuffed toys from a crane machine."

"Criminal what?" She shook her head. "I can't believe you won. Just like that." She couldn't have been gone for more than two minutes.

He tapped against the glass and there was a knowing smile on his lips. "That's because I'm amazing." He didn't say anything more than that. He probably knew perfectly well that Cress was bursting with curiosity but he seemed only too happy to keep his method secret.

She let him. "You are. Thank you."

He handed her the plush cat, leaning closer as she hugged it to her chest. "Sooo ... you think I deserve a reward for freeing that poor cat from the confines of this horrible box?"

Cress giggled. "Little Cress and I are eternally grateful for your services."

Eyebrows furrowed, Thorne was silent for a few seconds before he broke out into laughter. "Oh, you mean the cat! I thought you meant your—"

"Thorne!" She exclaimed, aghast and looked around if anyone overheard them. "Of course I meant the cat!"

There was an amused smile on his lips. "Too bad." He looked at the toy in her arms. "Little Cress ... you sure about that?"

Cress shrugged. "That's what I named my plush cat back home."

"Yes but I think you're more creative than you were at what? Three? Four?"

Cress had been nine when her dad had brought her the toy as a present but he didn't need to know that. She could have her secrets too after all. "Something like that." She considered the stuffed toy. "How would you name it then?"

"Easy. Boots."

"Aww. Like Puss in Boots? That's so cute." She held up the cat, considering the name. "Okay then, Boots it is."

But when she looked up at Thorne, his eyes weren't on the toy anymore but intently fixed on her. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. She would never get over the way he looked at her with those deep, blue eyes.

His face was only inches away from hers, so close that it would only need her to get on her toes just a little to capture his lips with her own.

Eyes fluttering shut, Cress pulled herself up, anticipating a kiss—

 _BOOM!_

An almost deafening blast shook the earth beneath her.


	6. Chapter 6

_His face was only inches away from hers, so close that it would only need her to get on her toes just a little to capture his lips with her own._

 _Eyes fluttering shut, Cress pulled herself up, anticipating a kiss—_

 _BOOM!_

 _An almost deafening blast shook the earth beneath her._

* * *

Light exploded around them, almost blinding her but Cress couldn't tell if the light appeared for a split-second or spread out slowly until she lost all sense of time. Ears ringing, she was crushed into Thorne's tight embrace, his body shielding her from the shards and debris that were raining down on them.

For a second, Cress felt lighter than she had ever before, as if she had lost all connection to her body. She couldn't move, she couldn't grasp for Thorne, it was like everything, including herself, was gone. Panic rose inside her as she tried to regain a sense of her body.

A sharp breath later, all came rushing back in and Cress became aware that she was lying on the ground with Thorne shielding her body.

"Thorne!" She grasped at his firm body, her fingers shaking as she felt the cool leather of his jacket, the back of his neck, his cheeks and forehead, grey from dust. "Thorne!"

He coughed. "I'm fine." His voice sounded far away, muffled, but when he peered down at her, his eyes were clear. Concern was etched on his features as his hands fluttered over her body, checking just like she had done to him.

"I'm okay."

Thorne sighed with relief. His boots scraped over the pavement as he stood up, pulling Cress with him.

The ringing in her ears was slowly fading but it was replaced by the sound of screams all around them. Disoriented, Cress turned around and gasped. The row of crane machines was almost completely destroyed, smashed by the façade of whichever attraction had been behind them.

And there, in one corner, she saw hints of the orange plush cat Thorne had won for her, buried under the debris.

They had just been standing there, about to kiss and if not ... if not ...

Cress had no idea how they had managed to make away it so they wouldn't be crushed. Could Thorne have been that fast?

Another blast exploded, this time further away. Cress ducked anyway but Thorne was already grabbing her hand and pulling her into another direction. "Cress, we gotta go. Now!"

A throng of people were already running away, parents pulling their kids along or carrying them in their arms, some were supporting others who couldn't run on their own.

"It's a new supervillain!"

"No, terrorists. It was a bomb."

"Help, someone help!"

"Have you seen my son? Anyone seen a boy, eight years old, black hair? Sunto! _Sunto_!"

"There! On the ghost ride!"

"Damn Lunars!"

Thorne pulled her along, deftly weaving them through the crowd. Cress numbly followed, only too aware that she should step up, saving the day.

But she wasn't wearing her suit and hadn't for weeks. With Thorne urging her along, there was no way she could leave him behind and run home to get her suit.

She could only follow him, doing nothing.

Another blast hit, close to the Ferris wheel. People screamed, stuck inside the cabins.

Or maybe ... there was something she could do?

Cress slowed but Thorne pulled only harder. "Cress, we can't stop. There's no time. Run!"

"No." She stopped, trying to pull her hand away from his but he didn't let her. "We have to go and help!"

"Are you crazy?" He pulled again, hard enough to almost hurt her and she could see the desperation his face. "Cress, we need to get away!"

"I have to help!" Finally, Cress managed to pull away from him and ran towards the Ferris wheel. She could hear Thorne's footsteps behind her as they made their way through the crowd of people running away from whatever or whoever was causing the blasts. Some slammed into her, desperate to get away while others struggled to move, injured as they were.

Cress reached the cabin that controlled the Ferris wheel. It was empty. Whoever had operated it was already gone without caring that so many others were unable to escape.

Thorne came up behind her but this time, he didn't try to pull her away. Instead, he looked up the Ferris wheel. People were screaming down at them, begging them for help. "What now?" His voice was steady, even calm as he waited for her instructions.

He had run back into danger, for her and whatever she tried to do. She wanted to help, save people but she also wanted, no, _needed_ to make sure Thorne was safe too. Which meant now wasn't the time to second-guess herself.

Cress channeled every bit of her superhero persona into her normal self. Straightening her back, she pointed to the cabin. "I'm trying to figure out the console, there has to be a way to operate the Fferris wheel and help these people."

"Okay." No questions, no doubts if she could do it. Just a nod that he understood her. "I'll make sure everyone gets out."

He pressed a quick kiss to her temple before approaching the entrance to the Ferris wheel. The cabin there and the ones on either side were already empty. Whoever had been close enough to the ground had taken their chances and jumped out of the cabins.

Cress ran into the control cabin, looking over the console. She just needed to turn it on, long enough so everyone could reach the ground but she wasn't sure if any of the buttons did just that. There were levers and clutches, and an instrument that might have indicated the speed?

There was no time. Cress had to try channeling her powers. While the Ferris wheel itself didn't emit any kind of electronic or digital signal which meant she couldn't operate it directly, she could use her powers to hack into the power supply system that the fair was connected to. From there she should be able to turn the Ferris wheel on and off as needed. It was a roundabout way of going at it. She had heard of technopaths who could command machines at will but this was all her powers allowed her to do.

This was all she had.

She didn't dare closing her eyes as she hacked into the power supply system, closing everything off until only the Ferris wheel remained. The tall structure loomed over her, intimidating her, despite the colourful lights. Slowly, her mind found the right connection and increased the power that fed the Ferris wheel.

A loud creak escaped the metal as the Ferris wheel jerked shakily into motion.

It worked but only barely. The Ferris wheel jolted at every increase and decrease of the power Cress fed into it. Try as she might, she couldn't regulate it to a steady output of electricity. The cabins were shaking, making the people inside scream in fear.

She focused on the first cabin that held people inside, her mind and body hurting from the effort to bring it smoothly to the entrance section. But even before they reached it, Thorne yelled at them to open the latch of the door and getting ready to jump. The two girls inside were frightened but complied and when the cabin was down, they jumped off.

Cress didn't bother stopping, only focusing on the next cabin and the next.

Another blast hit the chairoplane to their right, startling Cress so she lost her connection to the power supplies and the Ferris wheel trembled dangerously into a stop. Panting, Cress started again, trying to focus on nothing but the Ferris wheel. She couldn't allow herself to feel guilty for not being able to save the people that might have been stuck on that chairoplane. Or on one of the rollercoasters. She just couldn't.

Another cabin opened and three kids and their mother were helped down by Thorne. His jaw was flexed, his shoulders tense but he never lost his cool composure.

Cress took comfort in that and continued. It felt like hours but she doubted it had been more than a few minutes until finally, _finally_ , the last cabin opened. Releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding, Cress crumbled to the ground, overcome with exhaustion. It wasn't so much the effort to hack into the power supply system but the constant concentration it took to run a constant stream of electricity into the Ferris wheel. Her mind felt white-hot from the power surging through her, only slowly leaving the nerves and fibers in her body.

Strong hands pulled her up. "Okay, you brave stupid, stupid girl. You were a hero. Now _come_!"

This time, Cress was only too happy to let Thorne pull her into a sprint while her eyes were still fighting white lightning flashes. When they were finally leaving her field of vision, she could see that they've made it almost to the outskirts of the amusement park. Sirens could already be heard in the distance, along with more blasts that came steadily closer.

"Mommy?"

Turning her head, Cress saw a little boy standing in the rubble, sniffling and calling for his mother. Thorne groaned but already swerved into the direction of the child.

Another blast struck close to them, making the child cry in fear. Something shattered and a cloud of dust billowed around them. Cress let go of Thorne's hand to shield her nose and mouth. She could only place Thorne by his coughs so she carefully trudged forward until the dust settled.

Thorne had already reached the child and heaved him up. "Okay, there buddy. Hold on tight."

The child didn't stop crying but instinctively threw his arms around Thorne's neck. They were both grey from dust with only the eyes visible and where the streaks of tears and sweat had made their way down their faces. Cress doubted she looked much better. She felt the gritty dust in her ears and nose, on her lips, even grating between her teeth.

Together, they ran back but Cress knew that reaching the outskirts of the amusement park wouldn't guarantee them any safety. But maybe, hopefully, they would make it out of here, find the kid's mom and run back home.

The thought gave Cress pause. And then? Could she stay at home, hiding while someone (Cress didn't doubt that it was a superhuman) wrecked havoc on the city? Should she don her suit and mask, become Satellite and fight the source of the blasts? But what would she tell Thorne?

"Cress, watch out!"

Cress looked up, her heart stopping in her throat.

The tower ride was falling down, towards them.

Her feet froze to the ground.

"Cress, my hand! Take my hand! _Cress_!" She heard Thorne's frantic crying. Cress could barely move. She saw Thorne running closer, one arm wrapped around the child, the other hand stretched out towards her. Desperation was etched on every corner of his face. Behind him, Cress could make out the looming shadow of the tower rapidly falling towards them.

Cress closed her eyes.

The crash was deafening. Wind whipped almost painfully sharp over her face.

And then ... it was silent.

After a few agonising seconds, Cress tentatively opened her eyes.

The structure was hovering above them, suspended in the air.

"Damn!" Thorne caught up to her, hugging her close to his side. But he wasn't looking at her. Instead his eyes were looking straight-ahead, slack-jawed. Cress followed his glance.

Holding up a structure with her bare hands was—Cress thought she was imagining things—a woman by the shape of it.

A woman entirely made up of metal.

Cress had seen the various superheroes' suits, all of them different. Captain had his signature blue colour with star emblems, Mechanic's pants were loose like kakhis, Red had a hood that cast the upper half of her face in shadows and Wolf's mask had design elements that recalled a wolf.

But this ... this was completely different. It was a human shape cast in metal. From the silver braids, to the shapely form of a female.

Like a figure made of molten silver.

And she was holding up the entire tower ride. Her body was bent under the weight, shaking from the effort but she managed to keep the tower from hitting the ground and crushing them.

"Could you maybe move out of the way? I'm trying to save you here."

The voice too had a metallic tone but there was a girlishness to it that Cress hadn't expected.

They hurried from under the tower with Thorne murmuring comforting words into the child's ear, so he would stop crying. Cress noticed that Thorne's head was almost touching the structure suspended above them.

This had been a close call. If not for ... whoever it was that saved them, Cress, Thorne and the boy would be dead right now.

The new superhero crouched and hurled the tower to the side with almost no more effort than it took Cress to throw a ball or move a chair. When the dust settled, the sun shimmered over her metallic body. Which made it only more apparent that while she wasn't exactly nude, the shapes were definitely ... well, shapely.

Cress turned to Thorne who was still gaping at the new hero. Jealousy flared inside Cress. "Stop looking at her," she hissed at him.

"Are you kidding? Have you seen her? She's completely made up of metal!" He looked back but he seemed more stunned than anything. "How much do you think she weighs?"

"Hey!" Metallic girl strutted over to them. "One shouldn't discuss a woman's weight. That's just rude."

Thorne gulped. "My apologies."

"You're Android." It was the boy who had spoken up, suddenly less afraid and more curious.

"Look at that. I'm even famous in the States now!" Android looked pleased.

"I've got two trading cards with you. And you're in the Superhero Collection Set, Silver edition."

Android squealed. "Aren't those dolls just the best? I tell you it's too bad I can't wear a superhero outfit with my powers. I believe I would look so cute in a yellow suit with a dramatic cape, and a flaring skirt and—oh, a feathered mask. But can I do that?" She waited for a response but even Thorne, who was never shy of words, didn't answer. "Well, no because that would be just ridiculous. I just get metal skin." She flicked her upper arm, making the metal hum in response. "There's this girl in Australia who is entirely made up of gold. Can you imagine? She gets to look so awesome. Some people have all the luck," she sighed with a wistful smile.

Cress blinked. Android was ... something.

Thorne perked up. "Entirely made up of gold, huh?"

Suddenly, a lilting voice called across the debris-filled grounds. "Have you finally run off? I must say, I rather enjoy the quiet after your incessant chatter."

Cress looked over but in the distance, she could only make out a dark silhouette with a cape standing on the remains of a roller-coaster.

Android huffed. "Oh right, I forgot about her." She flipped her silver braids over one shoulder so they jingled. "Okay, back to work. And you better run. It's not safe here."

Thorne nodded. "Right."

"Good luck." She waved at the boy. "Bye, kiddo. Be good to your parents—unless they don't let you watch TV and don't give you enough candy." Android winked and did a twirling pose before jumping on the nearest structure and from there, made her way over to the roller-coaster.

"That's not our kid." Thorne called after her but she was already out of earshot. "Also, that's terrible advice. Don't listen to that lady, buddy." To Cress he said, "Our kid? You would have to been pregnant at what? Thirteen to be that kid's mom?"

Urged on by the new wave of blasts, Cress started to sprint, Thorne falling into step right alongside her. "She couldn't have known that. Maybe I look older?"

He laughed. "Tell yourself that when we go to the club next time and they ask for your ID."


	7. Chapter 7

In the hours after the attack, chaos ruled New York City.

People frantically tried to leave the area around the amusement park but it had been almost impossible. There had been traffic jams everywhere, the metro had been evacuated as a safety precaution. Thousands of people were walking through the streets with no shelter when others started to use apps and hashtags so they could offer a place to stay.

Cress and Thorne reached their home, dusty and full of sweat, long after nightfall. Even with Cress's superhero stamina, she was exhausted. Her feet burned, her face itched. Even though Thorne didn't try to show his own fatigue, he jaw was flexed with the effort it took him to continue walking block after block.

They could have made it home sooner if not for the child whose parents they needed to find first. There had been no help from the first responders who focused on treating the victims, so they made their way to the nearest police station. They had both been uncomfortable to leave the child, Sunto, alone until his parents arrived. Three hours they had spent at the station, trying to keep the scared child company until his mother arrived, dishevelled and in tears. She had kissed her boy and thanked Cress and Thorne in turns.

The keys clanked as Thorne tossed them onto the stand in the hallway. His shoulders slumped when he saw himself in the mirror. "I look like a freaking ghost," he said commenting on the white-grey dust that covered him except for the lines where sweat had run down from his forehead.

Cress walked up behind him, her arms wounding around his body from behind. "You look like a hero."

Thorne snorted. "If that's how heroes look, I think I'll pass." But there was little humour in his tone. "I need a shower."

He was distanced, Cress could tell. At first, she had thought he was just tired but since they were waiting in the halls of the police station, there had been something off. He had been silent and when he spoke, it was short and clipped, so unlike Thorne.

Cress didn't voice any of her thoughts though. "Just leave your clothes on the floor. I'll wash them tomorrow." Today was no time to be particular about rules.

Thorne nodded and made his way to the bathroom. She heard the door shut behind him but no lock.

Cress gave herself a few seconds to check on the news in her mind and startled. Android had been able to defeat the new villain, a woman who had named herself Bombshell—which, in Cress's opinion, was the most ridiculous alias she could imagine. It only made her hate her more.

 _Bombshell_ , really?

But Cress had known about—urgh—Bombshell's defeat since back at the police station. What startled her was something else and she let her mind flutter over the article once more:

 _In lieu of another Lunar attack, Levana Blackburn made one of her rare official statements. A deal has been struck between Blackburn Inc. and the US government concerning the confinement of super-powered humans in the future._

 _Mrs. Blackburn is being quoted as "deeply concerned about the security of people all over the world". Superhumans are an "unpredictable threat to the very foundation of humanity" and therefore, swift precautions have to be taken. She and her team have developed a high-security facility to hold these criminals, "for our safety and for theirs". The Blackburn prisons will be designed to resist the specific powers of their inmates—_

Cress shook her head and the article vanished from her mind.

Levana Blackburn got involved with the new super-powered humans now? And Blackburn Inc. was working with the US government? That could only spell disaster ... right?

No one had much insight into what Blackburn Inc. did.

Except, well, Cress. Or rather, Satellite.

She had hacked to the best of her abilities into Blackburn Inc.'s security system, scoured documents, records and transcripts - many of them forged as Cress learned. She had been able to trace back the influx of human wolf mutants back to Blackburn Inc.'s research facilities. Behind the scenes, Blackburn Inc. was trading in oil, wars and weapons, privatised water supplies and employed teams of top-notch lawyers around the globe to make sure that, on record, their business was squeaky clean.

But now they built a prison of sorts that would confine super-powered humans? To what end? Cress couldn't fathom why Levana Blackburn would invest in that.

And Levana Blackburn ... even with her cyberpathy, Cress hadn't been able to gather much information about the elusive figurehead of the Blackburn clan. No birth records, no images - nothing. So what was the big plan?

Cress sighed. There was no way she would be able to figure it out, not with the day she had behind her. She needed to relax, get her mind off what happened. Her first time holding back on her superpowers had turned out well enough. Android had been victorious on her own and who knew, maybe someone else would jump in next time? But no more thinking about supervillains, metallic girls and evil corporations.

Walking towards the bathroom, Cress already heard the shower running. She quietly opened the door and stepped into the steam-filled room. It already smelled of Thorne's expensive soap.

Thorne was behind the glass screen but the steam that clung to it made it hard to see more than his foggy silhouette. He wouldn't be able to see her either.

Cress shook off her jacket and let it fall to the floor where it joined the heap of Thorne's clothes. She unbuttoned her dress, sending dust everywhere. It crunched between her toes as she stepped out of her shoes before pulling her underwear off.

Thorne didn't notice her when she stepped into the shower even though he wasn't humming or whistling like usual. With his back to her, Cress allowed herself a few moments to admire his body. Water was running down his broad shoulders, slim hips and shapely bottom, taking the rest of dust with it where it pooled around his feet.

Tracing her fingers over the taut muscles in his back, she could feel Thorne tense for a second. "Hey."

"Hey," he answered simply but his voice was coarse.

Cress walked under the jet of water, relishing in the feel of the hot water easing her aching muscles. Eyes still closed, she reached for the soap. Thorne's soap, not her own showering gel with the blackberry scent. The soap's scent was fresh and with a hint of something sharp that would always remind her of Thorne. She ran the soap across her body, and she could feel Thorne's gaze.

She turned around, her skin tingling with anticipation. "Would you help me get the dust out of my hair?" She coaxed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Thorne's fingers were familiar as they combed through her hair, his movements soft. Careful. A sigh escaped her as she leaned into his embrace, her back touching his chest. Her body relaxed under his ministrations and the tension of the last few hours gave way to new emotions.

Cress wasn't used to Thorne being so quiet and almost passive though. Maybe he was more tired than she thought. But when she glanced over one shoulder, his eyes were dark, taking her in as she stood before him. Cress quickly rinsed out the foam and turned around. She let her hands travel over his shoulders before raising herself up on her toes, her mouth brushing over his ever so slightly.

She wanted to tease him, to coax his usual self out. Her lips brushed against jawline, his neck, the curve of his shoulder, her fingers following suit to explore his body. Every touch just as soft as the droplets running down his skin.

Leaning up again, Cress captured Thorne's mouth with hers. He tightened his embrace, pulling Cress flush against him. She could feel his hands sprawled over her back and his breath on her lips. There was something urgent in Thorne's kisses, as if he couldn't get close enough to her—

—and then he broke away from her.

Mouth open, Cress stared at him as he grabbed at the slick shower walls for support. His head was cast downwards and for several long moments, the only thing she heard were his ragged breaths and the stream of water.

"Damnit!" He ran his hands through his wet hair but it was plastered on his forehead. His fists clenched. "Damnit!"

"Thorne?" Cress stepped closer, trying to reach out to him. "What's wrong?"

Sliding the glass open, Thorne stepped out of the shower without a word and reached for his towel. The cool air hit Cress, raising goosebumps on her skin despite the heat from the water.

Wrapping herself in her bathrobe, Cress followed Thorne into the bedroom. His towel was slung around his hips, a look that usually made her knees weak. Right now, she was more concerned with whatever it was that set Thorne on edge. She wasn't sure if she should approach him again but if her naked stunt in the shower hadn't gotten him out of his funk ...

She decided to sit on the corner of their bed. "Talk to me, Thorne."

He grabbed his sweatpants and shirt from the floor. Usually, Cress made him at least fold his sleepwear neatly on a chair or the corner of his (still unmade) bed but she had been so excited about their romantic fair date that this morning she had let it slide. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, that never works on you when I tell you that." Cress tried to keep her tone light despite the tenseness.  
"Did I do something wrong? Are you angry at me?"

"Angry at you?" A harsh laugh was muffled by Thorne running his hands over his face. "Nah, it's all good. Peachy."

"Wait." Cress stood up. "You _are_ angry at me? What, why? What did I do?"

"What did you do? I tell you what you _didn't_ do. You certainly didn't go save yourself, oh no. Instead, you went and put yourself in any danger in a reckless and foolish attempt to be heroic!"

Cress took a startled step back. She had never seen Thorne burst like that, not even when they were fighting. Which was something he usually tried to get out of with a joke and some attempt to just agree with everything she said. It drove her crazy but that was the Thorne she knew. He had been annoyed by her, sullen and prone to disappear to "clear his head".

But angry? Never.

She tried to be understanding. "I didn't try to be heroic, Thorne. You mean the Ferris wheel? There were people in there. Someone had to help them."

"Why you though? It was dangerous. Every normal person tried to run away and you? Ran right into the next blast!" His eyes were red-rimmed from rubbing them and his voice was coarse. If he weren't so angry, Cress would think him exhausted more than anything else.

However, Cress wouldn't back down on this. She had tried to save people, so? That's what good people did, superheroes or not. Of course, Thorne didn't know about her superpowers but still, he had no right to attack her. "You went back to get the little boy, too," she reminded him, her tone clipped.

Thorne groaned. "Because I knew you would have gone and get him yourself. I was just trying to save us time."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You can't be serious. Thorne, people were going to die!"

"We could have died!" His voice, raspy and raw, was on the verge of yelling.

"But we didn't!" she yelled back.

"No thanks to you!" Thorne had been pacing the room until now but now he stopped and came closer, pointing his finger at her. "If not for Android ... Cress, it was sheer luck that tower didn't hit you. How could you be so careless with your life?"

She held up her hand. "Stop it. Stop making me feel guilty for trying to do the right thing. You think I wasn't scared? You think I wanted us to get hurt?"

"You didn't seem to care," he said through clenched teeth.

"I did! How can you be so"—She looked for the right word in English, the anger making it harder for her—"callous? Didn't you hear the people calling for help? The death toll on the news was at one-hundred-thirty and it's still rising. Others weren't as lucky as we were—"

"I don't care about anyone else!"

Cress felt like the air was sucked out of her and she gasped in disbelief at him. Silence filled the room for a many, tense seconds. "You don't mean that." Even to her own ears, her voice sounded feeble.

He tiredly rubbed over his face, pressing down on his eyelids. "I just ..." Thorne faltered and started again. His hand finally dropped and he looked straight at her. The franticness from before was gone. He still looked tired but his eyes were soft. "Cress, I just ... I can't be without you anymore. I don't want to lose you."

Cress's lips lifted into a smile and she tentatively made her way towards him. Her hand reached out to his bare chest, her palm pressing against the warm, damp skin. "I don't want to lose you too. I love you," she added.

Thorne's hand curled around hers, keeping it where it was. He took one step, two steps until she was pressed firmly against him once again, his fingers digging into her bathrobe. "I didn't imagine it would be like this," he whispered into her hair, something wet making her way down her temple. "I never thought ... When I met you and we decided to travel together, when I proposed to you ..."

"Yes?"

"You know, I thought it was comforting to know that it didn't have to be forever. We could just give it a go and see how it turned out. It was good to know that if one of us wanted out of this marriage we could."

Enveloped in Thorne's arms, Cress suddenly felt very cold. Her toes curled into the carpet for support.

Thorne didn't seem to notice. He sounded relaxed, relieved, even happy as the words tumbled out of him. "I mean obviously, I didn't want to part from you then either. But if it didn't turn like we thought, hey, divorce was always on the table, right?"

"Right," Cress could hear herself echo.

"But I want us to be forever now. When you ran back to the ferris wheel and when I was almost too late when the tower dropped ... Cress, please, don't ever do that again. Don't play the hero. Promise me, my love. Please."

Cress stepped out of his embrace with a heavy heart.

"Cress?"

Numbly, Cress bumped with her knees against the bed and slowly sat down. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She was hoping she could crawl into bed, curl up and press her hands to her ears as if that could make his words go away.

It had been all a lie.

"Cress?"

His bare toes stepped in her line of view. Her eyes travelled up his body but whereas a few moments before the sight had caused her to swoon, she felt now tears sting at her eyes until Thorne was nothing but blurry spots.

"Our marriage ... you never thought it would last."

"What? No, that's not what I meant." He feel to his knees in front of her, grasping her hands but she pulled them away.

Her eyes snagged on the rings on both their hands.

Their wedding bands.

Thorne's proposal had been a spur of the moment thing. They had said their farewells in Kiev and he had already been on the bus to Boryspil International Airport to catch his flight back to New York. Cress had turned around with a heavy heart, believing she would never see him again, when she felt his arms envelop her. He had mumbled a confession of love that had turned into a spontaneous proposal.

It had been so romantic. An epic romance, like the ones she always dreamed of.

There had been no ring, no wedding dress or tuxedo. Cress had hacked into the registry's office database to sneak in an appointment for the two of them, so they would be officially wed. And a bit more hacking to procure and forge the necessary documents - thanks to that, Thorne believed Ukrainian bureaucracy the most efficient of them all now.

No, the ring came later, presented to her upon arriving in New York, accompanied with the keys to his apartment.

The memories felt hollow now.

"Sweetheart." A long pause. Then, quieter: " _Kokhana_."

Tears stung in her eyes and she lowered her head so he couldn't see them. As usual, he stumbled over the pronounciation, the sound at back of his throat not being part of English phonology. Thorne had learned a few phrases in Ukranian to compliment and flirt with her but Cress had quickly learned, Thorne liked to do things well and if he didn't, he wasn't really inclined to apply himself.

And now he used the sweetest word of endearment in her language.

"Don't."

"Come on, Cress. You know I didn't mean it that way." He ran his hands through his half-dry hair, so the short locks stood up, making him look unkempt, a look she usually liked about him. The tousled hair before he groomed it into perfection. "Of course I loved you then. That's why I didn't want to part from you. I never felt that way about anyone."

It was as close as Thorne would admit that he had been not quite the guy for serious relationships before her. It was no surprise, he had the easy charm of a guy who knew his way around women.

But he had proposed to her. Proposed in a way that had alleviated every fear and doubt Cress might have had.

So she had followed the man who had told her that he loved her.

"It's been a long day, Cress. I've said things I shouldn't have said. I apologise." Cress felt his fingertips, soft and careful, as they brushed a wet strand of hair behind her ear, the cold droplets running down her neck making her shiver. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Escaping his touch, Cress snapped. "Of course you meant it. Apparently you had that thought for the last year. You just told me that divorce was your Plan B from the start."

Thorne stood up with a groan. "Would you stop it? I apologised for what I said. What more do you want from me? But honestly, Cress, you can't be mad at me?!" His tone was heavy with annoyance. "Every person in their right mind would have had the same thoughts."

"Oh, so now I'm not in my right mind?"

"Honestly? I'm starting to wonder about that." He closed his eyes, his jaw flexing and Cress could see he was trying to regain his usual composure. "Cress, you're smart. Didn't you think it might not be the best idea to chain yourself to a person you met a few weeks ago without—"

" _Chain yourself_? So, this is what you think this marriage is?" She winced at the high-pitch of her voice, so close to breaking.

He continued as if she hadn't interrupted him. "—without knowing you could get out if necessary. I could have turned to be the nightmare of a husband—"

Cress snapped. "And you're so sure you aren't?"

Thorne raised his hands in exasperation. "You want to be mad at me for just being rational? Fine. Whatever. There's no way to argue with you tonight. You're tired. Go to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow." Thorne didn't pay any attention to her as he let go of the towel and dressed himself while she felt her own cheeks burn with anger.

And shame.

"You led me on." On the last word, her voice finally broke and tears sprung into her eyes. "I left everything behind and you—" She couldn't continue, as sobs threatened to shake her body. Pressing her hands to her lips, Cress tried to silence the pitiful cries. She already felt stupid enough.

She could hear his steps on the carpet, coming closer. "Cress, I'm—"

"Get out," she hissed.

"Cress—"

"I said, get out! _Get out_!"

Only when she heard the door close behind Thorne, she let herself cry.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Many thanks to kiminicricket for betareading. Reviews are always appreciated._


	8. Chapter 8

First came the apology.

Then the flowers.

And finally, the quiet acceptance.

For the last three days, Cress had hardly talked to Thorne. Had hardly looked him in the eyes.

She was too hurt. The rational part of her obviously knew that Thorne's train of thought was sensible. There was comfort in knowing that if everything turned sour, they could leave, back into their old lives without each other.

But the less rational part of her was ... well, less rational. A bit flighty, definitely romantic and dreaming of an epic, life-long romance. One where two people just felt that they were soulmates and meant to be together.

And that part of her was the one that gave Thorne the cold shoulder. Because he should have let his romantic side be in charge when he proposed to her. Not propose with a plan on how to handle the eventual failure. Calculating an escape route so to speak.

Cress had said _yes_ to his proposal in full trust and hope that this was _right_. Forever.

And now she had to learn that, apparently, Thorne hadn't proposed with the same full trust and hope that this was right. That maybe he didn't believe in forever.

Still wallowing in self-pity, Cress stuffed another chocolate truffle into her mouth. She had bought them from the Ukranian shop and whereas before, she had mostly welcomed the feeling of something familiar, she was now homesick. Homesick AND heartbroken.

The perfect recipe for a romantic movie. Cress didn't care it was elevon o'clock on a Wednesday. She wasn't wearing anything but comfortable, old spaceship-patterned pyjamas which already sported some brown chocolate smears and a pair of fuzzy socks. Her hair was an unkempt mess. She felt crappy, she might as well look like it. And Thorne wasn't around either. He had mentioned going to the bank, so Cress had claimed the living room for herself.

When the lead couple predictably broke off because of some forced conflict, even Cress became bored with her favourite genre. Usually, she loved the big romantic scenes that would make the sad scenes before worthwhile but today she wasn't in the mood. When the couple on screen had just no chemistry and the only conflicted was a result of not talking to each other, how could Cress relate?

No, Cress's problems were more serious than that. If she were honest with herself, Cress knew she should feel guilty about having lied to Thorne about her secret identity. Even though her days as Satellite lay now behind her, she had craved the normalcy she had experienced with Thorne as they travelled through Europe. Maybe it hadn't been fair to Thorne either. He had proposed to her, Cress, without knowing that Satellite would factor into their lives too.

Cress felt the faintest stirrings of guilt and was almost relieved when the news came on to distract her. Except the breaking news chilled the blood in her veins.

— _The unknown virus is now spreading within Beijing city center. As of now, the source of virus is yet unknown, or how the infection spreads. The death toll has risen to 450 in the last week with no cure being available. Quarantine centres are being precautionarily erected to contain the spread with doctors facing difficulties to identify the symptoms soon enough to contain the infection. Rumours that the virus is connected to Lunars are not being commented on by the authorities. Security advisor Huy Deshal asks the population to stay calm and alert as long as the methods of the virus are still being researched and refrain from speculating and causing panic. Nevertheless, many Beijing residents are now fleeing the city, worrying authorities that the virus will spread even further into mainland China as a result and call for immediate travel prohibition for people living in and around the Beijing area._ —

Cress muted the TV, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She closed her eyes, took a few calming breaths and created a link to her father's computer.

Her mind dissolved into codes, every synapse being shot into space and somersaulted back around the globe.

 **Encrypted transmission**

…

 **Establishing link**

….

 **Establishing link**

…

 **Link established: Reciever online: SD**

SD

 _Crescent, is that you?_

CMD

 _Yes, it's me dad. How are you?_

SD

 _Oh you know, the usual. I'm not the youngest anymore. My knees-_

CMD

 _That's not what I meant, dad. I just heard about the virus. From the news! Why didn't you tell me?_

SD

…

…

CMD

 _Dad!_

SD

 _Crescent, it's fine. We're all working on it and I'm sure we'll have a cure soon._

CMD

 _Wait, why are you working on it? Your field are the Lunars?_

SD

 _I know. And I'm still working on it._

…

 _You'll hear about it in the news soon anyway. Rikhan Zhen has caught the virus._

Cress gasped, the breath taking her out of the transmission for the fraction of a second. Rikhan Zhen was sick with the deadly virus! She had only seen him once while she visited her father's labs in Beijing but he and his son had been very kind and welcoming to her.

CMD

 _Dad you have to leave! It's dangerous, they want to evacuate the city center._

SD

 _Crescent, I'm fine. I don't leave the office and I started taking the necessary precautions when I-_

CMD

 _There no precautions! They don't know it spreads. Dad, please, come back!_

SD

 _Back where? My work is here. Ukraine has already prohibited any flights from Beijing, the States too. No worries, Crescent. Nothing will happen to me._

CMD

 _Please, be careful._

SD

 _I will._

…

 _So_...

Though she had no connection to her body at present, Cress knew she was smiling knowingly at what came next.

SD

 _How is … he?_

CMD

 _Whom do you mean?_

SD

 _Him. The … husband._

CMD

 _:)_

 _Sorry, I must have been smiling. You know he has a name, dad._

SD

 _Thorne is not a name. Who would name their kid that?_

CMD

 _Um, dad you called me Crescent Moon._

SD

 _Which is a beautiful and fine name, young lady. I can't believe you're actually going by Cress now._

CMD

 _You know I couldn't keep my name. Cress is close enough._

SD

 _To think that I gave you such a melodic name and you-_

Cress clinked herself out of the conversation for a while and let her mind roam around the Commonwealth servers, catching hints of information, hidden documents and private emails (she was a little bit surprised about the private folder Kaito stored about Mechanic), before she found the connection back to her dad's laptop.

- _and Smith? Could it be a more ordinary name? You're special, so you should never forget I gave you that special name for a reason, Crescent._

CMD

 _I know, dad._

SD

 _What kind of marriage is that even where he doesn't even know your name._

CMD

 _A marriage where I want to protect him from my life as Satellite and that means I can't let him know anything about our relationship either._

It was on her tongue to add that he knew her mom's name and their marriage still had failed. But the divorce was still a sore spot for him and Cress had heard the same argument a few times already so what was there to say?

Also, it didn't sit well with her when her dad criticised her marriage with Thorne. Granted she wasn't ecstatic about Thorne at the moment either but her dad didn't need to know that. And he certainly had no right to call her out like that.

CMD

 _Everything is fine, dad. I just wanted to know why you haven't told me about the virus. I can forge your papers so you can leave Beijing. Take the train or find someone to get you to the outskirt of the city. I'll handle your voyage from there._

SD

…

 _Crescent, I can't. I need to research the virus, find a cure. My lab, my instruments, my documents, everything is here. I already lost the Lunar documents to Captain, I can't lose the letumosis ones too._

CMD

 _Letumosis?_

SD

 _That's what I called the virus. It started here and if I'm not here, I can't find a cure. Just stay where you are._

As if she hadn't that one before.

CMD

 _Why don't you want me to be where you are? You didn't want me in Beijing last year either._

SD

 _If I had known you would just up and leave with that dealer-_

CMD

 _He's an antique dealer!_

SD

 _-then I would have kept you here. But since it's too late for that now, you might as well stay safe where you are._

Cress could almost hear the faux-casual tone and see the frown on her father's face.

Despite the annoyance, she loved her father and she was more scared than she tried to let on. But if he was adamant to stay, what could she do? Sage Darnel had always been stubborn. Brilliant and stubborn and if someone could find a cure for the virus, it was him.

CMD

 _Just promise me to be careful._

SD

 _I will. And Crescent? I love you._

CMD

 _I love you too, dad._

Cress logged her mind out, slowly returning into her body. It was a strange experience, logging in and out of her body and travelling along as nothing but codes and data. Her mind was ever-present but there was no body, no physical connection, nothing to touch. She was pure mind and logic, her feeling having no place in there. There was a numbness to it that she hardly managed to break.

She never stayed in the purely digital world for more than a few minutes, maybe half an hour tops. The longer she stayed, the harder it was to return, the sensation in her body unfamiliar. As if her body rejected the mind if she left it unoccupied for too long.

Stretching, her skin prickling as she willed her body to obey and accept the sensation. Her eyes fell on the shelf with her wedding photos. In the beginning of their marriage, Cress looked at it daily, giddy with happiness but after awhile, the times she looked at it became more and more infrequent.

She made her way towards it, picking it up like the precious thing it was and took her time to look at it.

Their wedding hadn't been a grand affair, not the way she had dreamed of as a girl. No wedding dress, no church, no family or friends. They had gone to the registry office, Thorne in a sharp blue suit, Cress in a matching blue etui dress, the only festive thing about it being the fine lace that covered it and served as sleeves. They had invited their new neighbours Carina and Anthony to be their witnesses and they were present on some pictures but not the one Cress was holding right now. That photo pictured only them, big smiles on their faces as they stood together, Cress in Thorne's embrace.

There was nothing in Thorne's smile that even hinted at the doubts he might have had. Just pure happiness.

That's why she had picked this photo to be the one they displayed more prominently, instead of even the one where they had firsted kissed as husband as wife. Because they had looked so happy together.

Were they still happy? Could Thorne's careless confession have destroyed everything they had? Did Cress want it to?

No, she decided. They were married and whatever else Thorne had mentioned, he still was in love with her. Didn't want to lose her. Shouldn't their present happiness count more than his past doubts?

She had lied about Satellite too and now that she left her superhero self behind, maybe it could be a new start for both of them. She would have to talk to it about Thorne tonight and see where they stood. But Cress wouldn't shun him anymore the way she had those past few days.

Cress glanced at the clock, now anxious for Thorne's return. He mentioned going to the bank but no other appointment. Would he return so soon into a home where he didn't feel welcome? Maybe he would stay somewhere else for a few more hours?

To pass the time and ease her nervous stomach, Cress decided to watch some TV. Maybe now she could enjoy the contrived conflict of the romcom she was just watching more.

But instead of teary confessions and happy endings, Cress landed on the breaking news.

 _Six hostages are confirmed to be in the clasps of the robbers. The police and special forces have evacuated the area around the bank extensively but if you look behind me, the bank is on that corner behind me but no one has been going in our out of the building for the last hour. We don't have any new details on who the robbers are and what they want but the police have sent patrolmen...-_

Her fingers itched as Cress forced herself to remain calm while everything inside her wanted nothing more than to find her suit, jump out of the window and save the day.

A new life, she told herself, repeating it in her head like a mantra. A new life, a new life, a new life.

And still, pure instinct alone drove her mind out of her body again, travelling through the city to the little bank in Tremont and inside their surveillance.

Just to know everyone was alright, no one hurt.

Surveillance cameras served as her eyes, moving ever so slighty to take everything in.

There they were, a small group of heavily armed and masked men. She could count four as they hovered next to a group of hostages. Six, as the reporters had said. Two ladies in uniform that must belong to the bank's staff. A security guy, gagged and bound unlike the other hostages. A man and a woman in tight embrace, probably a couple. And then ...

Cress's heart bumped so hard in her chest that she felt it reveraberating all the way to where her mind existed in a realm of its own.

Because sitting on the floor with his back to the counter was Thorne.

And in that moment, Satellite returned.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and supported my story so far and many thanks to my beta kiminicricket who is doing overtime with my chapters. :) Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

Satellite perched on top of a building, the eyes behind the mask never leaving the entrance to the bank where the robbers held Thorne and other people captive.

She had scanned all the possible entrances and exits, scoured the blueprints from the authorities, hacked into the police's database and followed the news on any updates.

Simultaneously, of course.

There were more robbers than the news and Satellite thought at first. The four ones in the main hall seemed to be the leaders but a few underlings were stationed at windows and doors. If Satellite went in by conventional means, they would notice her.

A few other options included the small windows in the bathrooms, or the windows of the office spaces above the bank. But whoever those robbers were, they were prepared and barricaded the entrance to the bank from the other floors too. They knew the layout just as well as Satellite did. Every entrance she could take, they left heavily guarded.

Except, Satellite didn't need an entrance.

She had never attempted it before, not yet fully realising the extent of her powers. She just got few hints, the faintest idea that her powers were capable of so much more.

That _she_ was capable of so much more.

And with Thorne's life on the line, Satellite had to leave behind all of her doubts. She knew she only had one chance.

If it didn't work, she might die.

If it worked half-way, she probably wished she could die.

There was no way of knowing if she could control her powers to that capacity. Only foolish hope.

Satellite took a deep breath and jumped from top of the building.

She let herself fall.

And fall.

And then dissolve into codes and atoms.

This was more than just letting her mind travel through the web. This was her entire being disintegrating until there was nothing left in the corporal world.

Basically, teleporting.

And that's how she made her way into the bank, in a flicker of atoms that whirred through the glass-fibre cables, her existence in disarray except for the single-minded purpose of saving Thorne.

When she found the server room, she broke through the high-powered computer like through glass though nothing shattered or splintered.

The first physical sensation was immense pain as Satellite fell hard onto the floor, leaving her palms bruised and her left knee twisted. Her breath came shallow and ragged, as if she had been suffocating.

Trying for her zapped energy to return Satellite decided that this maneuver would be reserved for emergencies only.

And rescuing Thorne was the direst of emergencies. That alone made Satellite stand up gingerly, balancing her weight to see how the fall damaged her knee and yelped at the sharp pain.

Satellite cursed. That wasn't good.

It wasn't unbearable once she clenched her teeth but she was limping nonetheless. Maybe she should practice her new power a bit more instead of leaving it up to chance.

But the first part of her plan had worked. Which was the only part of the plan so far that she actually had. Still, she sent a quick encrypted message to the police. " _At the bank robbery in Tremont. I got this. Satellite."_ She hoped they let her handle the situation without interfering.

Quietly, Satellite made her way to the door before she channeled her eyesight into the surveillance cameras. With her eyes closed, Satellite had to trust her powers to warn her before anyone took notice of her.

The first camera swiveled to the left, scouring the hallway. Nothing.

Two other cameras confirmed that the staircase was mostly empty as well though, a burly guy in black and a ski mask was making rounds there. Several more cameras spied the two robbers in front of the vault, clearly waiting for instructions. Her camera eyes made up for the damaged knee but only barely as she made her way through the building, towards the bank where Thorne was being held. Twice a robber almost caught her because she was too slow to hide.

And still, Cress was relieved she didn't go through with her idea to transport herself directly into the main hall of the bank. With the way she hadn't been able to channel her powers correctly, the robbers would have easily caught her as she had been lying on the floor, completely defenseless.

Satellite made it to the hallway from the back offices and was now crouched to the entrance of the lobby. She was close enough to hear the robbers talking among themselves.

Now that she got in, her main problem was how to take the robbers out. She wasn't the best fighter though she could hold her own but not when the main goal was to protect the hostages. One wrong move and the robbers could harm them.

The first idea came easy enough. They all had cellphones. Satellite hacked herself into one of them but nothing was saved on them except the numbers of the other robbers Cress assumed. She checked the numbers just in case and they mostly matched with the cellphones in close vicinity.

She could work with that.

Satellite quickly formulated a text message: "Trouble upstairs. Come." and sent it to one of the four numbers. She peeked through the door to see who would leave.

"Kwende!" The voice was female. "Go upstairs and check what's going on."

The robber named Kwende nodded and left the room.

One down, three to go.

She needed another distraction but nothing that would put the hostages in more danger.

She checked the security system for the main entrance doors. They were shut down. No one could come in or go out if they didn't know the code.

One second later, Satellite had the code.

She kept the doors closed though to not make the robbers suspicious. But the exit was free now for the hostages to escape through.

That's when she noticed the screens all over the walls and over the counters.

Well, as Satellite, she loved a big entrance.

In an instant, all the screens came to life and showed a close-up of Satellite, catching the attention of the robbers. It was a strange feeling, seeing herself all-geared up like a superhero, her mask making her look almost menacing.

Good.

The shuffles from the lobby. "Look! What's going on? Who's that?"

"I'm Satellite." Her voice echoed through the hall even though no sound has escaped her lips. "I'm here to tell you to free the hostages and surrender yourself peacefully."

"Or what?" The female robber inched closer to one of the screens. "I know you and your powers. You're just a fancy router but you can't do anything to harm us."

 _Fancy router?_

Satellite trained the surveillance cameras on the robber, the infrared laser point zoning into her forehead. It wouldn't do anything but it looked threatening. "I wouldn't underestimate me. As long as I have powers and you don't, I will win."

"Jina, turn back!"

"Please, she's no danger to us. Look." Jina cocked her automatic rifle and shot through the screens in her vicinity. Glass shattered and two of the hostages cried out in fear. Even Satellite's heart hammered hard in her chest. They were more ruthless than she thought. She had to switch tactics.

"Nice try. But that won't hurt me."

"Maybe not. But it will hurt _them_." Jina pointed the rifle at the counter behind which the hostages were sitting.

Ice froze in Satellite's veins but she did her best not to show her fear. "Maybe. But then you won't get what you're here for."

"Which is?" By now it was clear that Jina was the leader of the group but Satellite wouldn't leave the other two guys out of her sight either.

Satellite pulled herself up. The last screen she could use was cracked but that wouldn't stop her. "You tell me."

"What, you want to make a deal?"

"Maybe." Everything in Satellite bristled at the words but the hostages, and Thorne's lives mattered more than anything.

There was a short silence. "Look at you," sneered Jina. "The police won't strike deals with criminals but you do? And here I thought you were one of the good guys."

Satellite didn't miss a beat. "I am. Now tell me what is it you want?"

"We're in a bank. What do you think we want?"

Money. How original.

"Alright. Release the hostages and I will open the vault for you."

"Pah, no way," Jina spat. "You think I'm dumb? Why should I trust you to hold your part of the bargain without the hostages as leverage?"

There wasn't anything Satelite could say to argue that point. But she definitely could _do_ something.

She could hear the clicking and whirring of the vault door as it opened so precisely as if she were standing next to it.

A phone rang and one of Jina's henchmen answered. Listening. Turning to Jina. "Jina? The vault ... it's open."

Satellite could see all of them turning to the screen that still showed her masked face. There was an inkling of pride as she watched the dumbfounded expression of the robbers. "What about the bargain now?"

Jina only hesitated a second. "Come out. I don't want any more tricks from you." To one of her henchmen she bellowed. "Release all the hostages except one. The rest of you, go the vault and get the money."

"Wait. I said to release all hostages!"

"Take what you can get, "Jina snarled as the hostages were ushered outside, only slightly glancing at the commotion. "I'll keep one to make sure you comply. Now, come out!"

The screen flickered into darkness as Satellite leaped out of her hiding place and into the lobby into the path of Jina. Shards were crackling under her boot, proof of the ruthlessness of the women before her.

She was taller than Satellite but that was all she could tell because of the mask. Only a set of sharp eyes and a grim set of lips were visible.

And still, with a bit of time and the right tracking, Satellite was sure she could find Jina again if she escaped. Maybe not today or tomorrow but soon enough.

That thought alone boosted her confidence as she faced Jina.

But then her eyes were drawn to one of the henchman and the hostage he pushed forward with a rifle pointed at their back.

Thorne.

"Are you stupid? Why would you take the guy as hostage?" Jina spat at her henchman. "You don't take guys like that as hostages. You take girls or women, someone who can't fight back, you idiot."

"Maybe he wanted to pick someone his own size for a change," Thorne said casually. He seemed calm and even a bit bored, not at all matching the turmoil Satellite was experiencing at the moment. She was close to tears, while he was watching the fight amongst the robbers with faint interest.

And then, his eyes found her. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Satellite's first instinct was actually Cress's first instinct: To run up to him, embrace him, ask him for forgiveness for shunning him, promising him that everything would be alright and that they would never part again.

In the next second, she realised that she was Satellite and her breath hitched, thinking her husband had found out her secret identity.

But yet another second later, Satellite realised that Thorne wasn't to talking to Cress at all. It wasn't about their fight and her avoiding him whenever she could.

No, he was looking at the masked superhero in front of him, not his wife. Had Thorne followed the Lunar news and noticed the absence of Satellite?

She wasn't sure how to respond and after a while, Thorne shrugged.

"Nevermind," Jina hissed. "We'll take him with us to the vault to make sure she-," she pointed at Satellite,"- will not shut the doors on us."

"Let him go," Satellite tried but she knew it was pointless.

"Yes, please let him go," Thorne agreed, though his tone was still conversational. "Your minion here smells and I have a very sensitive nose. Really, if you need advice on some excellent, albeit pricey soaps, I-"

"Quiet!" Jamal bellowed. "And move, we're going to the vault." He waited for an objection from Jina but when none came, he tapped with the rifle at Thorne's back to get him moving.

Thorne complied but it was as if he had no idea of the danger he was in.

When he passed her, she grabbed at his arm, a move she regretted when Jamal and Jina instantly pointed their rifles at them. She quickly retracted her hand as Thorne glanced at her with a mildly curious expression. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here. I won't let them harm you."

"Yippie," Thorne replied evenly, leaving Satellite stunned.

Satellite felt the tip of a rifle at her own back. "You, move now," Jina ordered ad Satellite had no choice but to comply.

Together, they made their way through the bank, passing a few more of Jina's henchmen guarding doors and windows. Satellite counted each of them, matching their location with the blueprint of the bank in her mind, thinking up a thousand escape routes and dismissing them just as easily.

But she would find a way, she was sure of it.

* * *

Down they went until they finally reached the vault. It was open as expected and most of Jina's henchman were already filling their bags with as much as money as they could carry. Jina and the rest stopped to oversee everything, shouting orders when needed.

It was a very old-fashioned way of robbing a bank, Satellite found. Then again, she could simply take any amount of money from any bank account in the world and put it on some secret account only she could access in less time than it would take to brush her teeth.

Of course, she was one of the good guys and wouldn't do anything of the sort.

When she stole glances at Thorne, his face was a stoic as ever. If he was scared, he hid it exceptionally well.

Finally, the last of the robbers left the vault which only left her, Thorne, Jina, Jamal, and the guy Jina had sent out before, Kwende. The odds were more in Satellite's favour than they had been before.

Which wasn't saying much, seeing that they still held three rifles and she had to protect Thorne. If it had been her against the robbers, she would have taken her chance.

"In," Jamal demanded, gesturing his rifle towards the vault.

"Both of you," Jina added.

They wanted to seal her and Thorne into the vault? She had been the one to open that vault by hacking into the bank's security system, they saw her doing it and they still thought it was a smart move?

Cress stepped silently into the vault, Thorne followed in behind her.

"Kwende, attach the last bomb," Jina commanded but her eyes never left Satellite. "You thought I would just let you walk out of here?"

It was Thorne who answered. "Kinda, yeah."

Jina ignored him. "You might not want to open that vault once we're out of here. The bomb has a motion detector, you move the door, you move the bomb, it will explode."

Satellite had only caught a small glimpse of the vault but it had been vast. They could hide far away from the door and be safe from the detonation. Except ... "The last bomb," she muttered under her breath but Jina heard her nonetheless.

"Ah yes. I installed a few more to hide any trace of us. If you activate just one, it will be enough for a chain reaction." Her lips curled into a cold smile. "It was meant for the police force but if it will rid me of you, that will be even better."

Hardly hearing the last part, Satellite felt as if doused in icy water. Shudders ran down her back and it took everything for her not to shake in front of the robbers.

Her epic entrance had left her limping. Her bargaining made Thorne the sole target. And now, she was kept in a vault surrounded by bombs that would detonate at any wrong move.

Satellite couldn't believe that a small group of robbers managed to defeat her.

She was an utter failure as a superhero.

Kwende stepped back from the door. "Done." There was a beeping coming from behind the steel door, that increased in frequency. "Close it now, Jamal. Quick!"

Satellite glanced at Thorne but his face gave away nothing. Maybe he was good at hiding his fear, maybe it was her own that prompted her to reach for his hand.

When her gloved fingers made contact, it was the first time that she had touched Thorne since their fight, she realised. And he didn't even know it was her.

She saw it in the way he looked first at her hand, grasping at his and the curious expression when he looked up at her behind her mask.

The beeping from the bomb, the hissing of the vault door as it was pushed back, it all faded away like the last light playing on Thorne's face.

And just before the door slammed into its frame, he squeezed her hand back.

* * *

 **A/N** : _It's hard for me to write this but it's clear that this fic isn't very popular. Views and reviews are low but I don't think it's just because the fandom is dwindling. I like writing Masks (it's actually my one fic which doesn't feel like pulling teeth like the others do) and I have a few chapters ready to be published but at the moment, I'm not sure if I'll continue beyond that. It breaks my heart but on the other hand, it's a lot of time and effort I put into writing each chapter and maybe I should spent it on something else._

 _But the next few chapters will be posted as planned (once a month, in tandem with PEA) and then we'll see. For now, I wish you all a happy new year. :)_


	10. Chapter 10

"You can stop holding my hand now."

"Oh. Um, of course." Except Satellite really didn't want to. Holding Thorne's hand was comforting. She had missed his presence during the last few days, craving the closeness. It was reassuring, especially enclosed by the dark vault, surrounded by bombs.

If only Thorne wouldn't pull slightly away from her every other moment. But having no choice, she finally let his hand go.

Thorne rubbed his hand and stepped away from her. He was still close enough for her to see him in the dim lights but only barely. It was a strange feeling, to be together with Thorne without him knowing it was her. He so far hadn't shown much interest in her superhero persona but kept a steady distance.

Satellite realised that, if there was no other way to save them, she would have to reveal who she was but dismissed the thought just as quickly. The situation wasn't hopeless. And still, a part of her wondered how Thorne would react? Surprised, surely. Concerned? In awe? She would like that.

"So, what's the plan?" Thorne said, leaning against the wall.

Satellite could feel his scrutinizing look, though he seemed more curious than frightened. Conscious of the motion detectors, she turned carefully around. The vault was massive, as far as she could tell. The remains of the robbery were still visible: Loads of bank notes lying around the floor, proving that the robbers had been working fast and more than that, that their goal had been the gold bars the bank was storing in the back of the vault.

That's when she thought a steady blinking light out of the corner of her eyes. It was a small apparatus, no bigger than her hand, with wires sticking out. It looked haphazardly put together, a stark contrast to the high-tech architecture of the vault.

"That's one of the bombs, I guess?" Thorne said, standing suddenly next to her.

Satellite could only nod, her throat dry.

"What do you think its range is?"

"I can't say. When the guy activated the one outside, they were still close enough after the door closed, so maybe not too much."

"But we can't be certain." Thorne looked around. "There's another one."

Standing on tiptoes, Satellite followed his pointed hand and true enough, another contraption was sticking to the wall a few meters behind the first. Satellite could only make out the third one by the blinking.

"And you can't just"-he put his fingers to his temples and squinted comically-" deactivate them with your mind? Isn't that your superpower?"

Satellite shook her head, a bit abashed. Not even Thorne knew what Satellite's powers were. "I'm not a technopath. They could do it. A technopath can influence machinery, everything that is running with wires, batteries and such. I'm a cyberpath," she added, only barely preventing herself from saying 'just a cyberpath'. Maybe Thorne wouldn't be impressed by his superhero wife after all.

"But you opened the vault?"

"I didn't open the door mechanically. I hacked into the security system. From there I could open the door digitally. If it were an old-fashioned vault, I wouldn't have been able to," she confessed.

There were a few moments of silence where they stared at the steady blinking when something occurred to Cress.

"They're all on one wall." Satellite judged the space between to walls to be around 25 meters. Maybe ..."

"You know, for someone who is claimed to be the smartest superhero, that's all you got?"

It took a few seconds for his words to register, as Satellite's mind was elsewhere, and then it left her speechless. "I ... you're very rude." Which was something she was not accustomed to by Thorne at all. Thorne who, on the contrary, was always very polite.

"Just disappointed. I thought New York's very own Lunar would be more impressive." He grinned at her as if he hadn't just insulted her intelligence.

"What I meant,"- Satellite said between clenched teeth, "- is that if they put those bombs only on one wall they must have been doing that on purpose. And they got out after they activated the bombs without them detonating."

"Ah, gotcha." Thorne snapped his fingers. "So, we're safe to walk if we keep to the other side." He paused. "Just where to? I don't think a vault is supposed to have an emergency exit."

"Just away from the bombs first." Then she could think clearly and figure out a strategy.

Satellite took the lead, slowly making her way to the other side of the wall. With her back pressed to the wall, she gingerly slid away from the door towards the back of the vault, Thorne copying her movements. When she was straight across the first bomb, Satellite held her breath as if even that would be enough to set off the bomb.

Nothing happened. The bomb just kept on blinking.

Satellite nodded to Thorne and they continued they way through the vault, passing the second and finally, _finally_ , the third bomb. They slowly continued into the next room where still whole heaps of stacked gold bars had remained out of the robbers' clutches. She heard Thorne whistle behind her.

Relief washed over her. At least she could think clearly without the constant fear of setting off the bombs. At clinking behind her, Satellite turned around.

Thorne weighed one of the gold bars in his hand. "Now who would ever notice if you went missing?"

"You're not thinking about _stealing_?" Satellite sputtered in shock.

Satellite knew the innocent look he gave her all too well - she usually saw it when he pretended to having cleaned up the bathroom or taking the trash out. "Me? I'm not stealing anything. Those robbers though, they stole all those gold bars, including this one," he told her with a grin. "Evil people, I tell you."

"That's illegal. You can't just take the leftovers of a robbery!" Did she seriously have to explain her husband not to steal? Where did that even come from? She had never seen him act like this. "You better put that back."

He gasped mockingly. "What, are you going to arrest me?"

This situation was almost worse than the bomb. Satellite knew she wouldn't arrest Thorne but she couldn't let him know that. "If you don't put this gold bar back, yes. Why would you even risk that? Getting arrested for a bit of gold?"

He weighed that gold bar thoughtfully. "That's not a bit of gold."

"Don't you have family who would be disappointed to learn that you stole something?"

Thorne looked unperturbed. "My wife would not even argue with me and carry some bars too."

 _She would never?!_ She could not believe that he thought that Cress would ever do something criminal. It took everything in Satellite not to rip her mask off to make Thorne reconsider his words. As it was, she was just staring at him with an open mouth when Thorne erupted in laughter.

"Oh you should see your face! I mean, you can't because you're wearing your mask but everything below your nose? Priceless." He put back the gold bar, still grinning.

He had been joking? With Satellite? With Cress, she knew his humour but as Satellite, she was out of her depth.

"Relax, just trying to lighten the mood. Since we're hostage buddies and all that."

Relieved, Satellite allowed herself a small chuckle. "Oh, okay."

"But speaking of hostages, any way you can ... you know, un-hostage us?"

"I'm trying." But first things first. She quickly formulated a message to the police force telling them not to enter because of the bombs. If they tried to open the vault, everyone in close vicinity would die, including her and Thorne.

But when Satellite tried to send the message to her contacts ... she couldn't? As if a wall surrounding her, throwing back any digital signal back at her.

"Are you already doing something? It's really hard to tell with your powers."

She didn't respond. First, she had to make sure that it wasn't just a fluke. But after more unsuccessful attempts to use her powers, Satellite had to face the scary truth: Her cyberpathic abilities were gone.

"Hellooo, you still in there?" Thorne knocked lightly against her forehead.

"I ... can't use my superpowers," she confessed. Her hands balled into fists to prevent them from shaking. Satellite figured that she could teleport out of the vault, maybe, just maybe manage to take Thorne with her, despite the danger. Or maybe contact one of the other superheroes. Or ... and that was the worst option- which made it difficult for her to even think it - find Captain.

But now, she couldn't teleport. She couldn't even send for help. She could just wait with Thorne for the police force and just hope they would figure out a way to defuse the bomb on the vault's door. Because if not ...

"Wait, what? What do you mean you can't use your powers?" Thorne stepped into her field of vision, crouching down to be on eye-level with her. Satellite quickly side-stepped him. It wouldn't do to have him too close. He hadn't figured out she was Cress with her mask and different accent but she wouldn't take a chance. "Oh. Because of the vault. I bet mobile phone's don't have a connection here either."

Satellite had figured out the same. She thought her powers lacking compared to others but now she knew she had a weakness too. Enclosed by stone and metal, a few meters under the ground was enough to render her helpless.

"Interesting," Thorne said, more to himself than to her.

"I'll figure something out. Just give me a second."

Thorne shrugged. "Sure."

Satellite stepped closer into the middle of the room. If there was a computer of sorts, that could be her solution. Checking the walls and even the platforms the gold bars were stacked on brought no success. Satellite huffed in frustration when she saw the surveillance cameras. There was a red light, signifying that the robbers hadn't bothered to break them.

The surveillance cameras themselves were machines but many banks' security systems were connected to it. If she used the surveillance camera as a starting point, maybe, she could hack into the security system. If she got that far, she had the connection she needed.

When Satellite turned around to Thorne to tell him about it though, he was nowhere to be seen. "Th- Umm, mister?" After all, Satellite wasn't supposed to know his name.

No response. Satellite hurried deeper into the vault where there were rows and rows of safes. For what, Satellite couldn't say, maybe valuable and unique pieces of art? Important documents? Jewellery customers stored here rather than in their homes? At least nothing that tempted the robbers more than money and gold.

Breaking into a sprint, Satellite almost crashed into the wall. "What?" Where was he? She ran back, checking the walls for any exits she might have missed. Back into the room with the gold bars and finally, edging close to the first room where the bombs were still blinking threateningly. "Sir?"

Futile as it was, she checked the same rooms again but still, no sight of Thorne. He couldn't have found an exit and not come back to tell her about it ... right? But whatever exit he might have found, Satellite should have been able to do the same. She checked every wall, every handle, every security pad attached to the safes.

Finally, she gave up. There was no exit. No Thorne and no exit. She knew it was stupid but she called out once more. "Mister, where are you?"

"Probably as far away from you as possible."

Satellite would know that voice anywhere. She looked towards the ceiling and there he was hanging, upside-down with a smirk in his face.

Captain.

* * *

 **A/N:** _It's nice that the last chapter got the most reviews out of any chapter so far but I know it's just because I said I might not continue beyond a certain point and I know it won't last. I don't want to beg for reviews either that's just not how fanfic writing and reviewing should work imo._ _But I feel everyone understands that feeling if you work hard and long on something and it gets very little recognition. I don't write for myself but I do write for you readers._

 _For now, I'll update what I have and to the point I have ideas for. Beyond that I can't say yet. I still appreciate that more readers took their time to review. It means that despite lower views, people still are interested in Masks, especially now when more dynamics are being added beyond Cress/Thorne and Satellite/Captain._


	11. Chapter 11

With his usual flourish, Captain dropped from the ceiling and floated almost soundlessly to the floor.

Satellite grit her teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Captain tsked in mock disappointment. "Especially after I haven't seen you around in a while. Let me tell you that made for a nice change."

"We're not friends." Of course, he had noticed her absence too. No one had been stopping his raids after all. He must have been filthy rich by now.

"True enough," he said lightly before walking over to the stack of gold bars. He picked up one of them, incidentally the one Thorne picked up too, Satellite noticed. "But this right here is definitely a friend of mine."

"Put it back."

" _Put it back_ ," he mimicked her in a high-pitched voice. "Is that everything you can say? _Put that back. Stop stealing. Give me the Lunar papers._ " He sighed but there was humour etched to the corner of his mouth. "Makes me almost miss your grand speeches."

Satellite was glad her mask hid most of her face as she could feel her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

When she started out as a superhero, costume ready and with ideas of justice and "with great powers come great responsibilities" filling her head, Satellite had taken to big entries and even bigger speeches.

In hindsight, she could admit they had been cheesy.

Like, a lot.

But she had been so excited to be a superhero! So she had dropped in on evil Lunars, thieves, robbers, traffic violators and had given them flowery speeches about justice and punishments and maybe two or three guidelines on how to become a lawful citizen.

Unfortunately for her, she had first faced off Captain while she had still been using those speeches. And he wasn't impressed by the "dorky superhero wannabe" that clearly stole a few lines here and there from Spiderman comics, Sailor Moon and a few Superman movies.

Compared to Red or Mechanic, or even Wolf and Android, Satellite hadn't been the coolest superhero.

There was a reason Satellite had the more ... _nerdy_ fanbase.

"What are you doing here?" Cress asked again.

"What? Can a concerned citizen not check in on the damage those robbers have done?"

"You mean, you wanted to check what they left behind so you could take it."

He tapped his nose with a gloved finger. "You know me pretty well. Maybe I should be worried that you keep such a keen eye on me? Not that I blame you. But you always following me around and figuring out my next moves? I already told you, as flattering as it is, I'm already taken."

That thought was off-putting. "That poor girl." Either a fool who didn't know any better or someone who was just as evil and annoying as him.

"Don't be jealous. You're still my number one nemesis."

"Great."

Captain casually walked through the stacks of gold, not invisible but incorporeal before leaning casually against the wall. "So, as much as I fancy seeing you, weren't you looking for someone?"

Oh stars, she had forgotten about Thorne. She whirled around as if looking for him again, would make him suddenly reappear. "What have you done to him?"

"What me? I haven't done anything. I told you he wanted to get away from you."

"He did not. He was very grateful that I was here to protect him."

"You don't say?" She couldn't see his expression behind his mask but the mocking tone in his voice was unmistakable.

"Oh yes. We were ... hostage buddies," she said, using the term Thorne had used.

"Really? I doubt it." He pushed back against the wall, walking up to her, so close that she had to look up at him. Oh, how she hated that. "I bet you don't even know his name."

Satellite bit her lips. Of course she knew his name, but after all, Thorne hadn't told her his name and revealing that wouldn't be a smart move. Which meant Captain thought he was right, as much as it irked her.

"See? I tell you, the poor guy-"

"Wait? How do you know it was a guy?"

"Ah." The smirk he gave her was infuriating. "Busted. Alright, alright. So I went to see how everything was going, phasing nicely into the vault. Poor guy came up to me, going, "Please, Mr Captain, sir, save me' And I was like-" he puffed out his chest comically and deepened his voice- "'Of course, buddy, what do you need saving from? Omegas? Bombs? Your devilishly good looks?' But no, all he needed was saving from, and I quote-" he took a deep breath-" a pestering little superhero who is way too goodie-two-shoes, certainly doesn't deserve her set of fine, if mostly useless powers and who desperately needs to get laid. His words, words not mine," he quickly said, raising one of his hands as if swearing an oath.

"Screw you!"

"Oh that's what it's about? He was right about you needing to get laid then. Sorry but you can have this"- he gestured to his body in a cocky fashion-" only in your dreams." When she didn't reply, Captain shrugged. "Maybe I took a few liberties with his words after all. But the point is, I obviously took pity on him and rescued him."

Satellite stayed silent.

"Oh come on, he's safe. That's good right? See, I did the whole hero-schtick. Which should be your job, come to think of it." He circled her, his whole posture smug. "Now, why didn't you save him? Or yourself, for that matter?"

She would bite off her tongue before she told him that her powers didn't work. "I was on it."

"Really?"

"Yes." Satellite was close to reveal her newfound teleporting abilities but that would give him an advantage. This way she could use her powers strategically against him if needed.

He obviously didn't believe her. "Sure thing. Now, do you want me to rescue you?"

Satellite grit her teeth. If she didn't want him to know about her being able to teleport, she probably had to ask for his help.

In all fairness, it wouldn't be the first time. Her set of powers was different than his and while he didn't have any combative powers either, he could get out of risky situations easily. It had happened before that she had been cornered or surrounded and Captain had swooped in to get her out of danger.

But that didn't mean she had to like it. "I guess."

"What was that?" He leaned towards her, overdramatically putting a hand to his ear. "I couldn't hear the magic word."

"I hate you."

"Nah, that's not it. You know for a superhero you're not very polite." He leaned in so close that she could smell his almost-familiar scent. "Come on, it's not that hard."

"Yes, help me ... _please_ ," she pressed out between her teeth.

"Now, there's a good girl," he preened. Then he held out his hand towards her. "Okay, let's get us out of here."

"Umm." Satellite stared at his outstretched hand. It was silly but the thought of holding Captain's hand ... it felt almost too intimate without her being able to pin-point why.

It was silly of course. They were both wearing gloves. But still, the gesture itself felt strange.

Captain faltered for a second. "I need you to hold onto me, otherwise I can't phase us both out of here."

"I know." And with a sigh, Satellite took the offered hand. Then Captain pulled her closer so that she was almost squashed to his chest. "Hey!" She shoved him away.

"Sorry, can't help it if you don't want to be carried around like a dead weight. No worries, it will be over soon."

As if this day couldn't get any worse.

Knowing that arguing was futile, she stepped back closer to him.

Satisfied once she was secured in his arms, Captain floated up towards the ceiling.

Wiggling with her feet, once they lost connection to the ground, she threw him a little off balance. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. He didn't have the tightest grip on her, as if he didn't want to get closer than necessary and for a second she worried he would just drop her but then -

\- she lost her body.

There was no other way to describe it.

She lost every nerve pathway and every cell in her body, while her consciousness remained as sharp as ever, rebelling against the unnatural sensation.

Even teleporting hadn't been like that. There she had to follow in the structured paths of the digital world.

This was chaos.

And she wondered how Captain could handle it or if that came with his powers.

There was the faintest feel of them pushing through the ceiling and the warmth coming off Captain's body, that alone anchored her a little.

And finally, they were through and in one of the hallways. When Captain let go of her, Satellite fell to her knees, still dizzy.

"Hey." She felt a hand slightly squeezing her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

She didn't trust herself to speak yet so she just nodded.

The hand rubbed a steady rhythm on her back, surprisingly comforting. "It's harder because the walls of the vault are so thick and the materials they used are harder and denser than in your typical buildings. If you're not used to it ..."

"It's okay." Satellite took a few steadying breaths and gingerly stood up. Checking of her powers were finally working again (they did), she quickly formulated a few messages to the police waring them of the bombs before turning around to Captain. "Thanks." She said it begrudgingly but nevertheless, she was grateful for his help.

He struck a funny pose. "Always here to save damsels in distress."

Satellite ignored that. "The hostage, you promise me he is safe?"

He turned serious again. "I promise. He's fine."

Satellite nodded. "Good." So Thorne was safe and maybe he was already on his way home. But as much as she wanted to meet him there - as Cress, not as Satellite - she had something else to do first.

Superhero duties.

* * *

Tracing the phones of the robbers was child's play. She located them driving north away from the city center.

"Let's move." Captain said beside her and pointed to one of the doors that were leading to the stairway.

Satellite was surprised. Was he going to help her catch the robbers? First saving Thorne, then herself, and now this?

She fell into step next to him and together, they ran up the stairs. Up and up they went, their Lunar powers giving them extra stamina. At least, Satellite knew she never had the same stamina as Cress before the eclipse changed her DNA.

Finally reached the top of the stairway and Captain pushed open the heavy door leading to the rooftop.

Satellite took a deep gulp of fresh air. Only now that she could see the vastness of the city, the outline of the skyline and the blue line of the oceans did she realise how claustrophobic the vault had felt.

Captain stretched his limbs with a content sigh too. "Aah, freedom. I'll never get tired of it."

Despite herself, Satellite had to smile. Who would have thought that they would ever agree on anything?

But when she turned around, Captain gave her a two-fingered salute. "So, see you around I guess?" He sauntered over to the edge of the rooftop.

"Wait?!" Captain turned to her, his head cocked in curiosity. "I thought you would come and catch the robbers with me?"

He guffawed "You thought I would-" He laughed harder and it took him a few moments to catch his breath. Satellite's cheeks turned warm in indignation. " _I_ would catch the robbers? What has gotten into you? Me catching robbers? Have we met?"

"You saved us," Satellite argued but now she started for feeling foolish.

"I wanted to check what the robbers got out of their scheme. And what they left over for me. You and that guy were just there."

Satellite was more angry at herself than with him. She knew him, had never been fooled by who he was. So why she suddenly thought he would help her was beyond her.

He stopped laughing as if something occured to him. "Or wait. I can tag along and you do your thing - hold your speech, put them in prison, go on your merry way - and I will just take the loot."

As if. Cheeks still burning, she ran towards the edge of the rooftop and jumped onto the next one, and the next one, as quick as reckless, leaving Captain as far behind as she could.

She zig-zagged through the city, until she could be sure he wouldn't follow her.

Maybe she couldn't face Captain today. He always seemed to be one step ahead of her.

But she could make sure to catch those robbers.

* * *

With no lives on the line, the robbers were easy to catch.

One by one she got them.

First a few lackeys.

Then Jamal.

Finally, Kwende.

Jina alone was harder to track and even her Satellite had quickly cornered.

"You think you won?"

Satellite stepped closer, slowly making her way into the dark alley. "It's not about winning. It's about justice."

Jina sneered and for the first time, Satellite could see her clearly, as the robber had ditched her mask in the car, along with the weapons, money and the gold. "Justice? You're a bigger fool than I thought. It's about power, isn't it? You with your powers. You think you're invincible. Special, no?"

Satellite ignored her. "Give up now."

"Or what?" She smiled, not worried in the least. It was almost eerie. In a way, Satellite feared her more than back in the bank with her rifle ready to kill.

But then she reminded herself that there was no need.

Jina had no hostages, no leverage against her. She was cornered without a weapon and no powers.

Satellite charged.

Jina just stood there.

When Satellite reached her, she grabbed the thick vest the woman was wearing forcefully. "Do you surrender?"

"I don't think I will." But instead of attacking Satellite, Jina stayed motionless. Except for her lips that twisted even more into a smile.

There was the sound of trickling and Satellite's feet were suddenly heavy. When she looked down she saw sand pooling around her.

That hadn't been here before? It had been just an alley, full of concrete and garbage.

The vest in her hand suddenly felt limp and formless as if no shape was holding it up anymore.

And Jina ... dissolved into sand before her eyes!

"Oops," the other woman said mockingly but her neck and chin already dissolved into sand, her nose and eyes followed suit.

Too late, Satellite grabbed at Jina but it was if her body reached into a sandbox. And the sand continued trickling down, pooling around Satellite's feet and down a drain until not even a grain of sand was left of Jina.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Dun-dun-duuuun. The plot thickens. As always, thanks to kiminicricket for betareading._

 _Guys, I hope you and your families and friends are healthy. Please, stay safe._


	12. Chapter 12

Cress raced home as fast as she could. She had run in front of cars, ignored red lights and now she took two steps at a time.

Nothing could get her through the door fast enough.

Thorne hadn't been outside the bank and the police haven't seen him either even though they had interrogated all the other hostages. That only left their home and Cress prayed he was there.

She fumbled hopelessly with her door keys, the more she tried to stick them into the keyhole, the more they seemed to switch positions as if to irk her on purpose. A hopeless sob escaped her when the door opened and Thorne stood in the doorway.

Cress threw herself fiercely into his arms, her face buried deep into chest as her tears flowed down her cheeks, and her hands grasping at the back of his shirt.

"Oh, hey, what are you doing that for?" He mumbled into her hair, hugging her just as fiercely.

They half-dragged each other, half-stumbled into the living room, not separating by an inch. "I'm s-s-s-o s-sorry, Thorne." She gave a pitiful sob, her carefully laid-out apology gone from her mind. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to- I know you didn't mean, I shouldn't have reacted that way when-"

"Shhh." He rubbed her back soothingly. "It's alright."

Cress shook her head and looked up at him. His soft eyes shining with nothing but love for her. Oh, she had been despicable. "It's not. I know why you said everything you said. You didn't even have to tell me, but you did. Of course, it's better to know that we could .. d-divorce. You were sensible, nothing else. It just-" she buried her head into his chest again, deeply ashamed of what she revealed next-" it sounded like you could leave me at any moment."

"I could never just leave you, _kokhana_."

Her throat was tight with emotion. "I know but ... my mom did. She just left and never looked back. They had a sensible marriage, her and my dad. I never wanted that, but it was sensible. Well thought-out. And she still left. Him and me. And then she was just gone."

She had never told Thorne that, careful to hide any trace that Cress Erland was actually Crescent Moon Darnel. The less he knew about Crescent, the less likely he was to be in danger because of Satellite too.

"But it wasn't fair to you. And when I saw the news and you were at the bank- I could have lost you!"

She could feel his thumbs wiping away her tears. "Nothing happened. Everything is alright."

He shouldn't be the one soothing her. He had just escaped with his life and she was the one selfishly talking about herself. "I'm so sorry, Thorne. It's not about me, you were the one-"

But he just smiled at her. "Let's first get you settled." He took her coat and purse while she wiped away her tears. A glance into the mirror showed a red-eyed disaster. As Satellite, it was different, she had been calm, collected, focused only on the mission. She wanted to rescue Thorne and she had to be at her best to do so. But as Cress, her worries and fears seemed to have come back hundredfold.

Thorne handed her a glass of water. "Here, drink. If you need anything stronger ..."

"Water is fine." She took a few gulps of the cool water, her other hand grasping Thorne's as he led them to the couch. They eased into it, once again melting into each other with Cress's head resting on Thorne's shoulder.

There was a long stretch of silence. Cress wasn't sure what to say next but just being so close to Thorne, not as Satellite but as Cress, warmed her to her very core.

"I didn't want to hurt you when I said ... what I said," Thorne started and she knew how carefully he chose his words. "I only meant ..."

"I know, you don't need to explain."

But he shook his head, his hand pulling hers to his lips to press a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "I want to." He took a deep breath. "I never thought I would marry. _Ever_ ," he stressed like he was still surprised by the development.

"My parents didn't have a great marriage and I left home as soon as I could. I started to travel. Alone."

Cress hugged herself closer to Thorne, so close that she could feel his heart beating in his chest. "You travelled with me though."

"Yeah. I don't know why but somehow ...," he trailed off. "I've met girls pretty much everywhere before." He squinted down at her as if to gauge her reaction.

When she didn't say anything, he continued, a bit more rushed than usual. "I mean if you travel alone, it's easy to ... get to know girls, you know?"

"Hmhmm," Cress agreed, biting the insides of her cheeks so she wouldn't laugh. She was all too aware that he had his experiences with women. It never mattered though once they met.

Once they met, it was suddenly just the two of them.

"But then I met you and ... did I ever tell you about it?"

"How you met me? Um, no, but I was there so..."

"Yes, but how I remember it?" When she shook her head, he leaned back, happy to share the memory. "It was at that coffeeshop in Beijing. I had just picked up my coffee-"

"Wait. You came in after me?" Cress remembered. She had entered the coffeeshop and taken in the architecture first with the open glass roof, the many plants that made it seem like a mix between a loft and a conservatory.

He gave her a secretive smile. "No, I had already ordered, got my drink and was ready to leave. Next to me were two business guys - suits and briefcases - who were talking amongst themselves, giving fleeting glances to someone at the other entrance. Remember how it had two? One for the quick pick-up, one for the café with the tables and waiting staff? Anyway, though I didn't speak Chinese, I didn't need a dictionary to understand that an attractive woman had just entered the place."

Cress's cheeks grew warm. She had never heard the story from his perspective, and it was strange for her to match her memories with his. She hadn't noticed that guys had been checking her out walking in.

"So, of course I had to look over and check the lady in question out," he told her with a wink. "It wasn't hard to guess who they meant. There, in the middle of the room was-"

"Me?"

He laughed, giving her a quick kiss to her temple. "Yes, you. You had your back to me though at first. I saw blonde locks, so no wonder your stood out to the Chinese guys. You wore a simple white top, a flaring red skirt and matching shoes."

"You remember that?" Cress asked in wonder.

"Of course. And I could see that you were taking in the whole place, looking up at the glass ceiling, slowly turning around. Towards me. So, put my coffee back on one of the tables and waited until you saw me."

That Cress remembered. She had turned around and, as if feeling someone's eyes on her, checked for the source when she saw Thorne, a cocked eyebrow and an amused grin on his face. He had winked and she had blushed and turned away even though he had been the one staring at her.

"So, when you got to the counter, I knew I had to take that chance."

Cress had checked the big sign with the menu when suddenly, a voice behind her had asked if she had any recommendations. It had been the handsome man, leaning over her as she stuttered to find a reply.

"You put back your coffee and ordered again?"

"Yes. And the rest is history." His thumb caressed every knuckle gently. "You see, I saw you before you even noticed me."

Cress wanted to swoon. That was so romantic. She knew the rest of the story well enough not to delude herself into thinking it had been love at first sight but she still wanted to believe it had been fate.

"Anyway, when I was about to go back to the States after we stayed in Kiev-I was already stepping into the bus to the airport-I couldn't. I couldn't just leave. Not after all those weeks of getting to know you."

And he had stepped out, walked up behind her and proposed. It had been spontaneous and sweet but now she knew he had a plan B if it hadn't worked out.

It was normal and she shouldn't have been mad in the first place so she stayed silent.

Thorne must have taken her silence as a cue to explain though. "I needed a way out, Cress. I always had one. An option to leave whenever I wanted. I always had plans on how to get out of situations if it got bad. I had to tell myself it's just the same, to convince myself that I could take that one amazing chance."

"So you could leave."

"Or you could leave. What if-" He stopped himself and continued with a smirk. "Maybe you would have tired of waking up to this handsome face every day?"

She rolled her eyes as he nudged her playfully. "Never." When Thorne didn't say anything, she nudged him back. "What?"

He scratched at his chin, deep in thought. "Didn't you ever have doubts?" He asked quietly, almost worried at her reaction.

"About us?"

He nodded.

Cress shrugged. "I can't say. I just didn't think the way you did. Imagining the worst-case scenario right away." She tried to think of a better way to explain it. "I don't plan for failure," she finally said, channelling her superhero self a little bit, her voice steady with confidence.

Thorne's eyes widened. "Damn, that's hot." He kissed her, quick and a little roughly. When he let go, she was struggling for air. "Okay, hotshot, some of us took a little bit longer to get there." She could feel his lips on the top of her head. "But here I am. I don't need an out anymore. I just want us."

Cress craned her head up at him. "I want us too. I'm so sorry I-" But Thorne didn't let her finish as he captured her lips with his own again.

This time, the pace he dictated was slow and torturous. Their lips caressed each other, let themselves linger, taking their time. They had time after all, and it had been too long. The last kiss they had shared was in the shower after the amusement park incident which Thorne had broken off, his emotions too conflicted back then.

Cress could feel his hands brushing at her hair, his fingertips soft on her temple, her cheek and then her jaw, to angle her head a little as he moved his lips lower to her neck, nuzzling it gently. The tickling sensation made her giggle a little.

"I missed that," he confessed, his mouth only barely leaving her skin to speak.

Cress closed her eyes as she let herself fall back on the couch, taking him along with her. "Kissing?" That she could certainly agree with.

He didn't answer for a few seconds as he adjusted his position over her as to not squash her beneath him. "Would it be cheesy to admit I meant your laugh?"

Cress felt light. "No, it would be romantic." She scooted backwards, Thorne following suit so they could spread out on the couch.

"Of course you would say that." He looked down at her, his eyes soft. Cress ran her fingers through his hair, free of any product she noticed. She always liked that. His put together look made her weak too but when she mussed up his hair, when it was just the two of them ...

She was distracted by his fingers ghosting over her thighs and hips. "Kiss me, Thorne."

He didn't need to be told twice. He leaned down with a grin but Cress grasped for him to lower his face to hers, his mouth to hers. She kissed him deeply and with every bit of emotion she felt for him. He moaned as her hands started to trail down his shirt, working on every button one by one. She had little room to work though, frustrating her.

He broke the kiss with a deep breath. "Cress, as much as I don't want to move and we know that couch has seen much love already, I think we should move it to the bedroom?"

Cress blew her hair from her eyes. He had a point. But still ... "Convince me," she purred, her finger trailing down the path between his opened shirt, his skin smooth and soft.

He grinned. "I'll carry you."

"Good start."

He put his lips necks to her ear, nibbling at it carefully. "And I won't stop kissing you all the way into the bedroom."

"Hmhmm." She gave the shirt a little tug.

He understood immediately. With a cocky grin, he sat up, pulling his shirt from his waistband and removed his shirt, revealing his toned chest and abs. He did it slowly, as if putting on a show for her, exuding pure confidence.

She loved that about him. Always had. His way of knowing that he looked good. That sheer confidence he always radiated. She had never been that way before Satellite but even then, she was wearing a mask so it wasn't hard. With Thorne though, she allowed herself to be just as confident without a mask too.

Between more kisses, he picked her up as if she didn't weigh more than a doll and he carried her like she was a priceless one too. Her mind wandered to the Venezuelean dream dolls Captain had stolen but only for a second. She wouldn't let Captain ruin her mood tonight.

Thorne kicked at the door to the bedroom and hurried them both in. It was dark, streetlamps and headlights painting their room in shadows. He laid her on the bed, his hands roaming over her body, leaving blazing trails of heat on her skin. He undressed her, slowly at first and then with more urgency, as her top proved to be difficult to remove.

Taking pity on him, Cress moved them into a position where she was on top. She straddled his waist and enjoyed the way his eyes roamed her body, darkening as she pulled off the tight top. No, she didn't need a mask to feel confident when he looked at her that way.

Cress started kissing every inch of his skin, the broad span of his shoulders, the firmness of his chest and raked her fingers over his abs. Thorne squirmed beneath her when she let the tip of her tongue trace the steep lines between his abs, her name escaping in between moans.  
She moved back up in one fluid motion, her face hovering over his, her blonde curls brushing at his cheeks and forehead. "Tell me you love me."

He didn't hesitate. "I love you. Fore-"

She put her finger on his lips. "Love me now. That's all I'm asking for."

Thorne drew her face lower, capturing her lips. "I love you," he said again, more breathless this time.

Cress nodded. "Then show me."

And he did in the all ways he knew how.

* * *

The tip of her finger trailed tiny swirls on his chest, mirroring the ones he was drawing on her back. Their breaths had evened out and with her head lying on his chest, she could feel Thorne's heartbeat going back to slow and steady as they basked in the afterglow.

Their kisses had settled to quick pecks to whatever they could reach in their respective positions as they talked quietly among themselves. "But weren't you scared?"

"Scared?"

"When the robbers took you hostage?"

"Oh. Ooh yes." He hugged himself closer to her, nuzzling her neck. "Very scared."

Cress raised her eyebrow in disbelief, glad he couldn't see her right now. He hadn't seemed scared at all. It seemed more like an excuse to get in a few more caresses. "Right." Popping her chin up on his chest, she studied him. "But you must have been glad when Satellite came in to save everyone?"

"Sure."

"Sure? I mean imagine what happened if she hadn't?"

A quick smile flickered over Thorne's face, so fast that Cress thought she must have imagined it. "Indeed. Satellite to save the day, right?"

It was impossible to miss the sarcasm in his voice. "You ... don't like Satellite?"

"What? I didn't say that."

"It sure sounds like it." Which meant Thorne didn't like her. Cress was devastated. Why wouldn't he like Satellite? So far, people had cheered her on, minus the evil Lunars of course. She was on merchandise. She had fans!

Captain's mocking words came back to her. Has Thorne really told him that she was a "pestering little superhero who is way too goodie-two-shoes, certainly doesn't deserve her set of fine, if mostly useless powers and who desperately needs to get laid"? Thorne would never be that mean ... right?

"Nah, she's alright."

"But?"

"But? But nothing." His eyes widened. "Wow, that's a scary face. You're all scrunched up. Good thing you didn't have that look when we were-"

"She's a superhero. A Lunar. Why wouldn't you like her?" _Why wouldn't you like me?_ she mentally added.

Thorne sighed. "You're weird about it. Do you have opinions about every Lunar across the globe?"

"Yes." Most of them anyway.

"Seriously?" He looked honestly surprised. "I didn't know you followed them that closely."

"What is so wrong about Satellite?"

"Nothing, seriously." But Thorne knew her better than most and knew she wouldn't cave in that easily. With a roll of his eyes, he offered. "Fine. I have nothing against her but she's ... you know..."

Cress stayed silent.

"You have to admit that she's kinda dorky, don't you think?"

 _Dorky?!_

"I mean, she does those poses and makes those speeches like a superhero from a kids show."

She hasn't done that in almost a year. Granted there was still footage of her right when she started out of a superhero. So? She had to grow into her role.

And maybe realize that she was the only Lunar who actually acted like a superhero from the comics.

"Actually, Captain found a way to get me out. You know he can phase through walls." He gave her a dreamy look. "Now that's a cool Lunar if you ask me."

"He's a thief." Cress did her best not to spat the words at him. That was the Lunar her husband liked? That was more than questionable.

"With a great set of powers. And great with the ladies, I heard." His eyes widened. "I mean, he has a big female fanbase. From what I heard. That's all I meant. Although what do I know? Ha."

But Cress had already stopped listening.

Dorky.

Suddenly, she was back in childhood with everyone making fun of the small kid with the long, frizzy curls and who loved to act out her favourite daydreams.

They had thought her silly then. Apparently, not much had changed.

Cress had liked being Satellite for that reason. Not having to pretend that her favourite childhood stories were silly. It had allowed her to be just like one of the heroines in the stories and in many ways, people had come to like Satellite for that.

"Oh come on, what's with the long face?"

She gave him a small pout. "Nothing. But Satellite came to save everyone no matter what you think of her."

"That she did. I just don't have a thing for girls like her."

Wow. Who would have thought that with so little words Thorne could ruin a great night? It was like one wrong thing to say after another.

"Girls ... like her?"

"Yes."

"And what kind of girls would you like then?"

Thorne drew his eyebrows together. "Girls like ... you?" He said slowly as if it was too obvious to explain.

That was so frustrating. She was Satellite! She was a girl like her! Where did Thorne even draw that line, even if unknowingly? How could he like Cress but not Satellite?

But of course, she couldn't be too angry about that or it would be suspicious. And also, was she now jealous on behalf of Satellite? Did she want Thorne to fancy another woman even if it was her disguise? That made no sense and left her feeling silly.

She forced a smile on her face. "Ah, yes. That's good to hear."

He looked proud of himself.

Cress laid her head back on his chest. She would not let this get to her. If they had talked about any other Lunar girl, she would be elated to hear that he wasn't interested in her.

Then again ... "Which Lunar do you like then?"

"I told you, Captain is kinda cool."

She rolled her eyes. "I mean from the girls."

Thorne gave a little laugh. "Ooh, so that's what it's about? Sorry to disappoint you, I won't answer a question like that. Nothing good can come out of it," he told her with a knowing tap to her nose.

"Android? You saw her up and close." And what a sight she had been.

"Nope."

"Mechanic?"

"Uh-uh."

"Red?"

He raised an eyebrow. "She's wearing a hood."

That didn't stop many admirers to point out her enviable curves. And they were all wearing masks anyway.

"Okay there must be one superheroine you fancy."

He smiled brightly at her. "Of course." He kissed her nose. "You." His hands found her hips and turned them both so that he was on top. His lips found her neck and trailed languid kisses down to her collarbone. His hands weren't as languid as they explored the rest of her body. "You're my very own superhero," he muttered.

Cress held in a sigh. She should be flattered that her husband was so into her, despite him trying to distract her from the topic at hand. She guessed it wasn't a fair one to begin with, so she left it at that and returned his heated affections.

She still couldn't quite shut up the little voice in her head that her husband wasn't into her. Not completely, at least. After all, if he thought Satellite was dorky then didn't he just love the Cress he came to know with all her secrets? The Cress who hid everything away that could link her to Satellite and even her life as Crescent Moon Darnel?

But as Thorne kissed his way down her body, every thought of Satellite left Cress's mind.

* * *

Cress grabbed a hoodie from the floor, rightly assuming it was one of Thorne's. She wondered if he ever got the hang of tidying up after himself, as she pulled the soft cotton over her head.

She was aware of Thorne's eyes roaming up and down her body. When she glanced at him, he gave her an appreciative smile.

"With legs like that it's a shame you're not a Lunar. They're a superpower of their own."

Cress chucked a nearby pillow at him. He blocked it easily and put it under his head. Looking down at herself, there wasn't much he could see of her legs anyway, with his hoodie being so big, it almost reached her knees.

"The delivery guy will agree."

"Stop it, Thorne."

"What, appreciating my wife?" Raising his arms over his head, he stretched like a cat. "Never."

It was awfully sweet actually. "I'll check if we have enough money in the hallway box."

"Sure. If not, search the floor for my pants. There must be somewhere..."

"Ha-ha, very funny." Walking over the door, she eyed the mess that was their bedroom. His mess actually, aside from the wayward underwear and clothes, he had ripped from her body and carelessly threw it around. Easy to fix, unlike his stuff. "Please, Thorne-"

"Clean a little bit after yourself," he finished for her before blowing her a kiss. "No worries, I will. Tomorrow."

Ah, yes, tomorrow. She had heard that a few times already.

While walking down the hallway, Cress linked herself to a local the newsfeed. There was still no sight of Jina though the rest of her gang had already been put into prison. She wasn't worried about them, they were normal humans after all.

But Jina had turned out to be a Lunar like herself. She was still in shock over that.

Turning into sand. Cress wondered what Jina could do with a superpower like that.

The rest of the news assured the people that none of the hostages had been harmed and all of the gold and money had been secured, except for one gold bar.

Cress almost ran into the little cabinet in their hallway. One gold bar was missing?

Captain!

The little box which stored a bit of cash fell through her hands and landed with a thump on the floor.

He just couldn't help himself, could he? Stealing whatever of worth was nearby if the possibility presented itself. Yes, he had saved Thorne and herself (kinda) but this wasn't enough to excuse his crimes.

Though looking at the few dollar bills and coins, she guessed a gold bar would come in handy now. Good thing she had a few work opportunities coming up.

The bell rang but the money wouldn't be enough to pay for the pizza and drinks. She quickly looked for her purse.

"Cress, the delivery guy," Thorne called-unnecessarily-from the bedroom.

"I know!" Ah, there was her little handbag. She pressed the buzzer with one hand while looking through the bag with the other. It was awkward, and probably didn't look very superhero-ish.

When she didn't find her wallet, Cress checked everything again. She knew she had put it in there-

Her fingers landed on something coarse, giving way under her fingertips. "What?"

Pulling her hand out, the inside of her palm was filled with ...

... sand!

The bell rang again, this time on the apartment door. "Cress?"

"I'm coming," she called out weakly, not taking her eyes of the inside of her bag, filled with sand. She stood up weekly when suddenly, the sand trickled down the ground as if by their own volition and moved smoothly through the hallway and underneath the tiny gap below the door.

"Huh?" She heard from outside when Thorne appeared behind her, quickly pulling up some pants.

"Cress, the door."

"I ... ," she said absent-mindedly, her eyes still following the path the grains of sand had taken. Nothing had remained. " "I lost my wallet."

"Crap. No worries, I still have enough money." She hardly heard Thorne opening the door and paying the delivery guy who looked a little freaked out, as he peered into their apartment. "Dude, eyes on me, not the lady with the fantastic legs."

Cress knew the guy hadn't been ogling her. He, like her, had seen the trickles of sand that had moved on its own and he quickly fled once Thorne was done paying him.

"Strange guy," Thorne said closing the door and suddenly turned concerned. "Everything alright? No worries, we'll just make sure to lock your credit card accounts and call the police in case someone found your wallet. If not, well we'll just have to apply for all of your documents." He gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze and Cress forced herself to smile weakly up at him. "We can go to the Ukrainian consulate first thing in the morning if that's what you're worried about?"

Jina knew who she was. She had followed Satellite right back into her life as Cress and Cress hadn't even noticed.

Her secret identity, Jina had found out.

Her mind in turmoil, she still managed to reassure Thorne that he was right and that's what she would do. She called the credit card company's emergency number and locked her accounts while Thorne set the small table in the living room. It was late, after all, no need for the formality of a dining table.

Everything seemed normal but Cress knew, somewhere, Jina was watching her, ready to attack.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

 **A/N** : _Cress and Thorne reconciled but at the same time, they're still enemies as Satellite and Captain. And now we have Jina who knows who Satellite is. I hope you liked this chapter and let me know in the reviews. Many thanks to kiminicricket for betareading._


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